"I just remember everyone telling me I had to try a cheesesteak and I was so excited to try it," Andre Blake laughs when asked about his first memories of Philadelphia. He doesn't reveal if he liked the classic Philly noms.
The Jamaican national team starter and 2016 MLS Goalie of the Year is driving to pick up his son in the week leading up to his 103rd start for Philadelphia Union, and he's thinking back over a MLS career that has taken him from a surprise spot on the bench as a rookie to recognition as the best shot-stopper in the league, and, over the past two seasons, into the Union record books in numerous long-term categories. Blake is already the Union's all-time leader in saves and wins, and if he's in the first eleven on Saturday against Dallas he will become the leader in starts, with a chance to take over the top spot in shutouts and minutes played as a goalie.
Back in 2014, Andre Blake was considered the best player available out of college, but picking a goalie first overall was a risk no team had taken before. DC United blinked, trading down and elevating the Union to the top spot.
"They traded up to get me," Blake remembers. "I'm happy I was able to show them it was a good decision."
After selecting Blake, the Union brought in a Designated Player to start in front of him. Rais Mbolhi was an Algerian international and immediately assumed the starting role ahead of the young man out of the University of Connecticut. But Blake's talent was undeniable, and he accumulated 12 appearances for the Jamaican national team before Jim Curtin told him he would be the opening day starter ahead of the 2016 season.
"Jim telling me I'm going to be the starter meant a lot to me," Blake says steadily. "The job was mine to lose, all I had to do was go in and do my thing and not worry about trying to prove anything to anyone. Just try to be me and try as much as possible to be the best version of myself:"
In the opening match of that year, Blake made eight (!) saves but the Union still lost 2-0 to FC Dallas, the team they will face as their big man between the pipes sets the club's goalie appearance record. He followed that up with a stunning six-save performance that helped the team knock off Columbus 2-1.
"I think, to be honest, looking back, I was in the moment," Blake smiles at the memory of his early starts. I didn't realize what was really going on; I was just so into it.
"Almost going with the wind," he continues. "Like when you're doing stuff and you don't even realize what's going on."
Over the past three seasons, the entire league has figured out what is going on with Andre Blake. He won the league's Goalie of the Year award in his first season as a starter and has made two All-Star teams. Philly has been treated to jaw-dropping saves and numerous matches that turned on the play of their shot-stopper. They have also seen a young man grow into a father and a somewhat quiet goalie emerge as a team leader. Blake is more vocal than he was when he first entered the league, and he is a bona fide star. During Jamaica's run to the final of the last Gold Cup, they knocked off Mexico in a memorable semi-final as the Union's goalie flew around his box, stunning the Mexicans over and over as they searched for a breakthrough.
None would come. And though Jamaica would fall to the United States in the final -- a match Blake exited early with a hand injury -- it was clear to all viewers that the Reggae Boyz had a new leader.
And then Blake returned to Philadelphia and spent 2018 pushing the Union to a playoff berth and a US Open Cup final. The team lost both, and those painful moments now push the 28-year old goalie to work even harder.
When you begin your career with an award that designates you as the best in your position, it can lead to a perception that you have peaked early. Now in his fourth season as a starter, Blake is determined to show that is not the case.
"Getting that award, it pushes a lot of attention in your direction," he sighs. "The stakes are higher, you're being judged more even by your teammates and coaches, you're being held accountable more for your actions."
But don't get it twisted -- this is not a player uncomfortable with the spotlight. The judgment and accountability? Andre Blake welcomes them. He knows how hard he worked to become the number one pick in the MLS SuperDraft, and how hard he worked to win and keep the Union's starting spot in net.
"Remember all the things that got you successful and keep doing those," he counsels. "People are going to look to see if you can be consistent, if you can do it again and again and again.
"That's what separates good players from great players," he states confidently. "I don't want to be an average or a good player. I want to be a great player. That's why for me, it's always about pushing myself and trying to get better. Not competing with anyone but trying to be the best version of myself."
For the record-setting 103rd time, Blake will don the Union badge and try to be the best version of himself on Saturday night. And the Philly faithful, who have embraced him since that cheesesteak-laden draft in 2014, will be ready for their star.
