Andrew Rick, Union’s 19-year-old Homegrown goalkeeper, is making a name for himself throughout MLS

One of the biggest factors in the Philadelphia Union’s failure to make the playoffs for the first time since 2017 last season was the absence of veteran Goalkeeper Andre Blake, who missed 21 games across all competitions last year.

Despite that, and missing the playoffs by just 3 points, the goalkeeper was the only positional group that Ernst Tanner and the rest of the Union Front Office decided not to make any changes to this past off-season. Instead, they’ve put their faith in 19-year-old Homegrown, Andrew Rick, to step up in Andre Blake’s absence when needed, and so far, the kid is making the most of it in 2025.

So Far This Season

The Union called upon Andrew Rick six times during the first few months of the 2025 season. He has played in the last four consecutive games while Andre Blake deals with fluid buildup in his knee.

Five of Andrew Rick’s six games have come in league play. The young keeper has a record of 3W-1D-1L against MLS opponents and has kept clean sheets against St Louis City SC and an expensive Atlanta United attack this past weekend.

In the win against Atlanta United this past Saturday, which puts the Union not only top of the Eastern Conference but top of the Supporters Shield standings at the end of Matchday 14, Rick made 3 timely saves, which helped lock down all 3 points for the U on the road. Having already robbed Atlanta United of 2 goals earlier in the game, Rick’s save late in stoppage time on an attempt from Derrick Williams, no less than 6-yards out, was the biggest of the night and feels like it put Andrew Rick’s name on notice with the rest of Major League Soccer.

“Credit to the boys, happy with the way [Andrew] Rick played tonight, he’s been patient in the background until he gets his chance, and today he had a chance to shine. Phil Wheddon works tirelessly behind the scenes to get him up to speed and to be ready for that moment, and tonight he had three big moments.“ – Bradley Carnell on Andrew Rick.

Outside of his impressive record in MLS play, Rick made three big saves against USL’s Indy Eleven in the US Open Cup Round of 32. One of the most important came at a huge moment in the game, when Rick made a diving stop in the 113th minute on a header attempt that would have put Indy Eleven in position for a Cupset late in Extra Time. It wasn’t Rick’s biggest stop of the night, though, as he’d have to make a massive save in the Penalty Shootout to help the Union advance to the Round of 16, which will take place at Subaru Park this Wednesday.

In addition to his strong play in the net and his shot-stopping ability both from open play and in PKs, anyone who has watched Andrew Rick come up through Union II knows he can ping the ball around the field. Against Columbus, Rick was rewarded for his strong sense of distribution from the back when a long ball sent to Quinn Sullivan led to a Tai Baribo goal at the other end of the pitch. With the secondary assist on the play, Andrew Rick became the youngest goalkeeper at 19 years and 100 days old to record an assist in MLS play.

Not Looking Like a Backup

The biggest difference in Andrew Rick’s game this season is his confidence. I think the trust that Bradley Carnell and the rest of the Union coaching staff show in him is a huge reason why we’re seeing a more confident Rick between the posts, even at just 19 years old.

Rick has played a handful of games for Union II this season to stay sharp. He has put up a 3W-1L record in 4 games with 2 regulation clean sheets and just 1 loss in Penalty Shots, which came after a 0-0 draw in which Rick made a stop on a PK in the 88th minute. In those 4 games, Rick has 10 saves and an impressive save percentage of 83.3%, which indicates he’s probably ready to graduate from MLS Next PRO.

With his 3W-1D-1L record in MLS play and his Penalty Shootout win in the US Open Cup, Rick has conceded six goals total and has two clean sheets to his name. With five goals conceded in 5 MLS matches, Andrew Rick is tied for 4th amongst all goalkeepers in Major League Soccer with a Goals Allowed per 90 Minutes total of just 1.00.

One of the most impressive stats when looking into Andrew Rick’s performances over the last few weeks is what I’m calling his ability to “Steal Goals”. Amongst other goalkeepers in the previous 365 days, Andrew Rick ranks in the top 99th percentile in Post-Shot Expected Goals per Shot on Target, a stat to show how the difficulty of shots stopped – the higher the number, the more complex the shot was to stop and the more likely it would have been a goal without a great save. This is a roundabout way of saying that Andrew Rick has shown the ability to make impressive saves in big moments to keep his team in games and competitive.

How does the Union Keep Him?

Over the last few seasons, questions regarding Andre Blake, one of the best goalkeepers in MLS history, and his succession plan have become a bigger talking point due to him missing time due to injury in the last couple of seasons. But now with Homegrown Andrew Rick behind Andre Blake and coming into his own, the Union might feel more at ease when having conversations about life at Subaru Park after Blake’s retirement.

The tricky part will be, like it was with Matt Freese, how does the Union plan to keep a guy like Andrew Rick—who probably deserves to be playing game in and game out in Major League Soccer—content, happy, and willing to continue his development as a backup until the #1 spot is available?

You obviously don’t want to cause an issue with your veteran goalkeeper and leader in Andre Blake, who, when healthy, still looks like one of the best keepers in Major League Soccer. But on the other side, time waits for no man. Andre Blake is getting older, and his injury record is only getting longer. It’s not often you come across a homegrown goalkeeper who looks the part and is taking the opportunities given to him by storm.

For the club’s future, keeping Andrew Rick in Philadelphia could be a really important piece to the puzzle of navigating life after Andre Blake. But for now, let’s all continue observing and enjoying the emergence of Andrew Rick as a goalkeeper in Major League Soccer.