CHESTER, Pa.— The US Men’s National Team’s run and the World Cup may be over, but it is just the beginning for 20 year old Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Andrew Rick. Though he serves mostly as the backup to Andre Blake and at times starts for Union II, he has shown he can handle starting in MLS, where he currently has 21 regular season appearances and seven clean sheets. He also started during the 2025 US Open Cup and 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup, and has several US Youth National Team call ups.
His latest honor was being chosen by Mauricio Pochettino and staff to be a part of the the USMNT group during the 2026 FIFA World Cup as a training goalkeeper. Though he was not a part of the actual roster, he gained valuable experience as someone who represents what could be the future of the US squad.
I caught up with him after he returned to the Union training grounds as the squad was gearing up to resume the MLS season to hear his thoughts on his time during the World Cup and also on the state of the Union going into the second half of the season under interim head coach Ryan Richter.
Jillian: First of all, talking about the USMNT experience you just had, just what did it mean to receive that opportunity and be part of that training environment?
Andrew: Yeah, I mean, it’s a huge honor. One of the biggest goals for my career is to represent my country at the highest stage, which is the World Cup. So, the fact that I got the opportunity to be around it and see it, while not necessarily being part of the roster, it’s so cool, you know. I’m very grateful to to Pochettino, to Toni [Jimenez], to Jesús [Pérez] to Miki [D’Agostino], to Jack [Robinson], to all those guys who who believed in me and trusted me enough to give me that opportunity. But it’s an honor. You know, it was so cool to be around all of it and get to interact with all the guys and just see how they deal with everything and what it’s like to be in the World Cup.
Jillian: What would you say were your biggest takeaways from that experience, and how did it make you a better goalkeeper?
Andrew: Yeah, I would say the biggest thing is that it was a different style of play for me. So just learning and trying to adapt how I play to what they want from me was difficult, you know. Especially when you’re playing at such a high level. So I would say the biggest takeaway is just learning how to deal with some of the things that I’m maybe not used to when it comes to goalkeeping as well as, it’s like kicking, all aspects.
And then I would say another thing is just learning from those guys how they prepare, see what they do, how they recover, all the professional aspects that they like to do, all those modalities that you see, just how they use them and how they prepare for the games. Just learn from that and maybe build my own routine from it.
Jillian: What would you say was your favorite memory from that experience?
Andrew: Favorite memory, oof. There was actually the match day minus one before we played Belgium. There was a shooting drill. Actually, I’ll switch it. I would say singing on the field after Bosnia was probably my biggest. I’ll remember that for the rest of my life. We had the whole stadium singing “Country Roads,” and it was just… it was so happy. It was so great.
Jillian: That was an amazing moment. Just watching it, and for you to be a part of that, that’s amazing. Just looking back at the season here [in Philadelphia], obviously the first half the season didn’t go the way everyone would have hoped. Do you feel like this break has been a good reset for the team?
Andrew: Yeah, of course. You know, everybody needs time away from their jobs. So, I think the break came at a great time for us. A lot of guys went away. They forgot about kind of what happened at the start. And for at least since I’ve been back, it seems like everyone’s positive. Everyone’s ready to go. There’s this new excitement about what’s to come, and I think we all believe we can we can get it back on track and maybe push for playoffs.
Jillian: And specifically, looking ahead to Red Bull on Wednesday, how would you say the team’s mindset is?
Andrew: Yeah, it’s a rivalry game. We know how those go. People like to kick each other. There’s not a lot of soccer being played, but I mean we’re ready to fight. We’re ready to give it our all. You know, it’s perfect. I think it’s a great way to set the tone for the rest of the year, at home against Red Bull. You know we can really like maybe give a blow to them and build up confidence for ourselves.
Jillian: And then you know, obviously, you’ve worked with Ryan Richter in the past. Just what do you think he brings to the team in his role now?
Andrew: Yeah, I think he brings, I would say I don’t know how to describe it. Just like that intensity that you see, like he cares so much about winning and and so much about, like, just competing that you can see it on the field. Everybody buys into that and they kind of feed off of it, and I think that’s what it’s given us, this little bit of fresh air, you know. When you have someone who you see wants to win like that and is willing to bring the intensity, kind of you have to raise your level and adapt to that as well. And he’s certainly done that since I’ve been back, and I feel myself being pushed a lot since I’ve been. And I think all the other guys feel the same way, and that’s good.
Jillian: And how has the team embraced the new coaching staff, and what do you think has been the biggest difference in training you’ve noticed?
Andrew: I mean, we’ve all embraced them very well. I’ve had the pleasure of working with them for a while now. I’ve known Ryan… was my U12 coach. He was my U15 coach, Union II, and now first team. I’ve known Fred [Da Silva]. Fred was my U12 coach as well. Henry [Apaloo], I’ve known since he joined the 15s a while back. I’m just now getting to know Ben [Moane], but all the other guys we’ve known them all for a while. They’ve been around Union II. They’ve been around our environment, so I think we’ve welcomed them very well and embraced them very well.
And we’re all trying to buy into what Ryan’s telling us to do, and I would say the biggest difference, I would just say the intensity. You know, I think that before maybe some guys in training, like there wasn’t that intensity to try and win in the session, and I feel like since we’ve gone back, everybody wants to win and even in these little two-touch games or rondo boxes, like that’s in my opinion, that’s important. When you step on the pitch, you have to want to win every time, every game you’re playing. And I feel like I’ve seen that since I’ve been back.
Jillian: And how excited are you to have Kai Wagner back?
Andrew: Ah, so excited. It’s so great when you have a guy, you know you can just give the ball, and he’ll find a solution for you. It’s very good, and he’ll help us a lot, both off the ball and on the ball. So I’m very happy to have him back, and he’s a good guy. So I’m grateful.
Catch the Union take on Red Bull New York at home at Subaru Park on Wednesday, July 22 at 7:30 PM or streaming on AppleTV.
Main article photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Union
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