Union head athletic trainer Paul Rushing shown a red card after altercation with NYCFC players, now a Delco hero
It look 96 minutes, but Philadelphia finally got a go-ahead goal courtesy of Corey Burke to beat NYCFC 2-1 over the weekend and move the Union into first place in the Eastern Conference.
Now that the NHL playoffs have come to an end and we’re stuck with only the Harper-less Phillies for the next few months, you might as well give the Union an extra look. On the year, the Union sit atop the Eastern Conference standings and have only lost one match all season. They have seven wins and eight draws, with 29 total points.Â
So maybe you’re not even a soccer fan. That’s fine. However, during the Union’s win over NYCFC, Paul Rushing, the head athletic trainer for the Union, was shown a red card while trying to attend to Union player Julian Carranza who was down on the field.
Is that something you may be interested in? Let’s check it out.Â
Basically, it’s Rushing’s job to make sure that his guys are okay. I’m sure Carranza was fine. It is soccer after all and the majority of times a player falls over, it’s absolutely nothing.
Paul Rushing, Union Athletic Trainer
As shown in the video, these NYCFC dorks were in the way of Rushing and clearly, he wasn’t having it. Things escalated and he was given a red card for mixing things up with the opposing team’s players.
A lot of people on Twitter are complaining saying how bad it was to see an athletic trainer put hands on opposing players but I couldn’t disagree more. Soccer fans, much like the majority of soccer players, are soft and there’s no better example than what happened to Rushing.Â
This is the excitement that MLS Soccer desperately needs. Paul Rushing is a hero and should go down in history as one of the greatest people to ever step foot in Delco. Sons of Ben needs to memorialize Rushing for the remainder of the season and use him as a rally cry for the Union.
One look at Paul Rushing, and you know this guy doesn’t fuck around. Then you actually want to put hands on him? NYCFC is lucky he didn’t go one by one down the field ripping each of their heads off.
Kai Wagner, who I have always liked while watching the Philadelphia really screwed things up by getting mad at…Rushing? You kidding me Kai? You should have went over and helped your guy out while he was trying to tend to Carranza, not telling him to get off the field.
Kai Wagner, now a known softie, needs to take notes from Union head coach Jim Curtin, who loved what he saw from Rushing.Â
The Union should strongly consider getting Rushing and a whole band of MMA-looking trainers out there. Line the sidelines with Rushing’s and even throw a few of them in the Sons of Ben section with blue and yellow face paint.
In all seriousness, if you haven’t been down to Subaru Park to catch a Union game you’re missing out. Between that and the Phillies, we have two good options to get our Philly sports fix until the NFL season returns.
DOOP.Â
Up Next for the Philadelphia Union
The Union will hit the road for a two-game swing with Chicago Fire on Wednesday and Columbus Crew 4th of July weekend (Sunday) before returning home to host D.C. United on July 8th.
