Chester – After two weeks off following the international window, the Philadelphia Union travel to Vancouver, British Columbia, for the first time since April 2019 to take on the Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place. Philadelphia looks to keep hold of its top spot in the Supporters’ Shield standings.

During the break—and coming off Philadelphia’s 1-0 victory at TQL Stadium over FC Cincinnati—I headed to Chester to speak with Union center back Jakob Glesnes about his thoughts heading into the final stretch of the MLS regular season, the U.S. Open Cup, and the squad in general.

Coming off that match on Last Saturday, a very emotional, very physical match against Cincinnati, kind of how has mood been training been this week?

Jakob Glesnes: The momentum has been huge over this week (of training) also, after the Chicago game as well. I feel that we just were building on that and also getting away against Cincinnati. We’re going in with a belief and thinking that we’re going to win this game. It felt that like me and Bruno was talking about in the morning, we had the morning walk, and we said, like, oh, today is a good day. We had a good feeling. And he was like, I’m actually the same.

So I feel like the whole group was going there with, like, I believe that we we’re gonna go there and beat them, and also the way that we did it all after he was getting down one man and grind out one zero win there, that’s huge, and a momentum that we have to build on now for for the rest of the season.

With 5 games left in regular season, plus the run in the Open Cup. Can you touch a little bit more on the belief in this squad to this point?

JG: It is a fantastic feeling when you go on the field as a group and and you have a belief that we’re going to win whoever is on the other side. And also the way that we have been doing it, with working so hard for each other. It’s not nothing that is just coming by itself, but it’s because everyone is putting down the extra meter for each other, from the top to all the way to the back. So I think it’s just the way that we have been doing it.

Do wish you had a game this weekend rather than a week off?

JG: Oh for sure, just said it the other day, it is hard now to go to this weekend when we know, like, what we have here now in our hands and but again, we are showing it every day out here as well. Like we get a little taste of it here, out here, when we want to win here, but it’s not the same as when we put on the jersey and rolling up the sleeves for a team on the other side of you.

Can you share your thoughts on the development of Andrew Rick this season? You saw him out there last season, what has stood out you in his growth from then till now?

JG: I remember last year when we was going to play against Miami, and he was looking like he was going to play, because Andre felt something, and it was the day before the game, and he said, like, oh, I can’t eat because I’m so nervous.

I don’t think you have this feeling this year, I think he’s going with with a belief that he’s going to save every single ball that is coming against him. And that’s what he’s showing every day out here on the training when he’s saving our ass, and also in the games, like he showed it already earlier this year against Atlanta, when he saved us as a group. And now he did it again, like huge saves in big moments in the game.

I think he feels like the group is believing in him, and also he is believing in himself as well. So and of course, he’s learning from from the best, from Dre as well. In training with him, and the goalie group of Phil and Oliver and Mike and everyone that is pushing each other every day. But again, like how he had been showing up in this games, later this year is huge, and he’s just 19, so the question is just where it’s going to end.

You’ve been around this club for a while, what makes this year so just different than maybe others for you?

JG: I think the first thing is the locker room, like you have a locker room where everyone is fighting for each other. And again, I talked about the belief that we have, but that is something that we are building, and that’s in these four walls where everyone is, like, connected to each other and helping each other. Doesn’t matter if it’s on or off the field, and that shows off again now when we’re doing on the field as well.

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With just a little over a month of the season left and the MLS playoffs looming on the horizon, keeping that momentum and belief will go a long way in the Union’s quest to make this season something truly remarkable.

Main article photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Union