Philadelphia Union’s Andrew Rick makes ESPN’s Top 10 Plays in MOTM performance against NYCFC

If you weren’t aware of Andrew Rick’s game before, you will be now after the 18-year old’s Man of The Match performance against NYCFC in the absence of Andre Blake on Wednesday night.

Man of the Match performance from Andrew Rick

The Union homegrown goalkeeper made 7 saves on the way to a 5-1 road win against NYCFC on Wednesday night, Rick’s first win as a member of Union’s Senior squad. Of the 7 saves DOOP needed from their keeper up in the Bronx, 5 of which were diving stops from Andrew Rick, and 5 of those saves came from shots taken inside the penalty area, earning him the Man of the Match honors.

Rick’s sensational save earns him #2 on ESPN Top Ten Plays

No save was more impressive than the one Rick made in the 66th minute of the game where he scrambled back to dive and clear a chipped shot off the goal line at the last second. The incredible effort from Rick landed Union’s goalkeeper on ESPN’s Top Ten plays on Thursday morning, coming in at #2 on the list.

That wasn’t the only impressive save the young goalkeeper made on Wednesday night. The homegrown made a dazzling save just a few minutes before his ESPN Top Ten nominee moment, diving to his left and side and palming the ball away from the top corner of the net on a strike from outside the penalty area, showing off his athleticism and shot-stopping ability.

The Legend of Pickle Rick

The Rick Wall is a pretty good name for a goalkeeper, but if you’ve spent any time at a Union II game this season, where Rick gets most of his playing time at the moment, you’ll likely know the other nickname the 18-year-old has been given by Union II fans.

The Bridge Brigade, a UII supporters group that has made some noise around MLS NEXT Pro grounds this season, often refers to their beloved homegrown keeper as Pickle Rick, and I think all of us were surprised to hear the MLS broadcast bring this up on Wednesday night.

Curtin shares Praise for Rick

“That’s what Andrew [Rick] has in his skillset. He made some big saves tonight when we needed him most and he’s going to get better and better – but again he’s only 18, and in goalkeeper that is about as young as it gets – he’s still going to grown, he’s still going to fill out, I think he’s only 165 pounds so he’s got a frame to fill out, maybe even grows height-wise because he’s only 18 years old. But it’s a big step for him, I’m happy for him – he’s a quite, shy, reserved kid – but that kind of performance will build some real confidence and keeping that is everything”
-Jim Curtin on Andrew Rick

I’m not sure a nickname like this sticks many places other than a group of soccer fans in a place like Philadelphia, but the legend for Pickle Rick, Union’s promising young goalkeeper, continues to grow.

Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images