CHESTER, Pa. – Coming into the Philadelphia Union's 2016 season, Brian Carroll wasn’t necessarily expected to play very much. But with Maurice Edu sidelined with a long-term injury, Carroll has not only filled Edu’s starting role, but he is one of just three Union field players to play every minute this year.
In many ways, this is a perfect microcosm of the 14-year career of Carroll, who is quietly approaching a very big milestone. With his next appearance – which, barring something unforeseen, will be on Saturday when the Union face the Seattle Sounders at CenturyLink Field (10 pm ET, MLS LIVE) – Carroll will become the sixth outfield player in MLS history to have played in 350 or more games.
The only other field players to have accomplished such a feat are Kyle Beckerman (383), Steve Ralston (378), Brad Davis (371), Jeff Cunningham (365) and Davy Arnaud (351). Goalkeepers Kevin Hartman (416) and Nick Rimando (398) have also reached the milestone.
“That’s pretty cool company, and it’s a pretty cool accomplishment,” Carroll said at training Wednesday. “But right now it’s about enjoying playing and getting the win Saturday and continuing to do well this season. I’ll think about that when I’m done playing.”
A consummate professional, Carroll often tries to brush off personal accolades. But his head coach, Jim Curtin, dished out more than enough praise on his behalf, calling the milestone “incredible” while gushing about how the midfielder handles himself and has found a way to raise his level of play in his 14th season.
“First and foremost, if you wanted to say this is how I want my son to be, that’s Brian Carroll,” Curtin said. “As a player, I played against him. I had a lot of battles against him. He’s an unbelievable player. It’s amazing for me right now to see in the first five games just how good he’s been. He may not run as much as he used to, but he still runs a heck of a lot. And he’s playing as good as he ever has right now because he’s smarter.”
Carroll’s importance is often hard to measure statistically since he plays as a defensive midfielder. But Curtin pointed out that the numbers of balls he connects from the backline to the forwards are “very high,” and that his “ability to break up plays” while shielding the Union’s young center-back combo of Richie Marquez and Ken Tribbett has been vital to the team’s early success.
“When everyone else is in panic mode going 100 miles per hour, he’s so level-headed and just makes good decisions,” Curtin said. “His soccer IQ, I would put up against anyone in MLS right now. It comes with experience.
“Going through 350 of those battles is something you can’t replicate.”
Many of those battles have been memorable ones for Carroll, who made the playoffs his first nine seasons in the league while winning MLS Cups with D.C. United (2004) and the Columbus Crew (2008).
But Carroll has missed out on the playoffs in each of the last four seasons, leading Curtin to call it “important” for the MLS veteran to get back there so “he can really show that he’s a winner in Philly.”
For Carroll, who’s third all-time among outfield players in career starts with 327, that would certainly be a good way to go out – not that he’s ready to go out just yet.
For now, the Union midfielder is simply grateful for the 349 MLS games he’s already played in – while looking ahead to No. 350 and still many more to come.
“It’s a testament to being consistent and understanding your job and bringing that every single day,” Carroll said. “But, I don’t know, I don’t think too much about it. I think I’ll appreciate it when I’m done playing. But right now I’m enjoying playing.”
