Photo by Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports

By RYAN TOLMICH

HARRISON, N.J. — For the second time in the competition, the Philadelphia Union were up against the ropes with a penalty kick shootout to determine advancement in the U.S. Open Cup. And for the second time in the competition, John McCarthy played hero.

McCarthy made nine saves throughout 120 minutes of action on Tuesday afternoon before making yet another crucial stop in the penalty kick shootout to help the Union advance to the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup.

For McCarthy, these types of performances are becoming all too familiar. Last month, McCarthy’s penalty kick-saving prowess came to light, as the Union goalkeeper saved three of four attempts to help Philadelphia top the Rochester Rhinos in the Round of 16.

Now booked for the final four, McCarthy is just happy to help his team advance while collecting experience that will prove invaluable to the 23-year-old.

“It’s always good to win. You can never complain about a win no matter how you do it,” McCarthy said. “It’s another win under my belt and it’s another game that’s a good experience.

“It’s even better because I’m a young goalkeeper. I’m just trying to get even better.”

As a young goalkeeper, McCarthy is certainly not a finished product, a fact that head coach Jim Curtin is fully aware of.

Throughout the past year, Curtin has had to manage a variety of goalkeepers, as the Union’s highly publicized woes in net have led to numerous personnel changes during Curtin’s tenure.

With regards to McCarthy, Curtin believes that he has found a confident and promising young goalkeeper, one that will continue to get better and better the more he is thrown into the fire in games like Tuesday’s.

“He was excellent on the day,” Curtin said. “It was a key moment for him in his young career to step up and make those big saves, not only in the shootout, but also in the run of play.

“He did a good job. I’m very happy for John. For young goalkeepers, confidence is key and he got a lot of confidence from tonight.”

Just five games into his MLS career, McCarthy has shown that confidence, especially in penalty kick shootouts. Stating that his strategy is to merely to “try to save them,” McCarthy’s level-headedness proved to be a characteristic that helped him mightily in the game’s most crucial moment.

After conceding a 94th minute leveler to Red Bulls midfielder Lloyd Sam, a moment McCarthy slyly said “kind of sucked”, the goalkeeper was tasked with facing Sam again on the Red Bulls’ fourth spot kick.

Diving to his left, McCarthy got a hand to the ball, which continued to roll towards the line before the goalkeeper swatted it out, preserving the Union advantage that would eventually lead to a victory.

That save in particular earned the goalkeeper plenty of praises, from both teammates and opposition alike.

“Johnny is a blessing, man. I see it in practice,” said Union defender Ray Gaddis. “You guys got to witness it today and in the last shootout that we had when Johnny came up big also. We know what Johnny can do. Johnny stepped up and every player on our team has a role to play, and he played his role, the biggest role of today. Hats off to Johnny.”

“He had a good game. I thought it was a good save on my penalty, too,” added Sam. “He comes out of that game a hero, and fair play to him. He’s the hero of the game.”

Regardless of the praise, McCarthy doesn’t believe himself to be any sort of hero or savior, especially after watching his teammates run hard 120 minutes in 90 degree afternoon weather.

Rather, the goalkeeper is just happy to have played his part while helping his team advance through a game that could have easily proven to be the team’s demise.

“We just had to know it was going to be a mental grind, and that’s what it was,” McCarthy said. “We had to stay focused for the rest of the game. When overtime came around, it was just another mental focus thing and we had to be as strong as possible.

“For them to go 120 minutes with a man down, that’s something special. That’s something that you live for as a player, that you hope for as a team. Everyone really came together and grinded it out for each other, and that’s what we needed to do.”