CHESTER, Pa. - For Josh Yaro, it wasn't just any debut.
For his first MLS game, the Union rookie not only started in front of 40,000 boisterous fans in Seattle but did so against one of the best American players ever in Clint Dempsey and one of the most hyped young American prospects in Jordan Morris.
That was last week. Things won't get any easier Saturday when Yaro will likely get his second straight start at center back against a New York City FC team that features, among other intimidating players, Spanish superstar David Villa.
"It's no easy task again," Union head coach Jim Curtin said. "You got Clint Dempsey a little bit, dealing with him, dealing with Jordan Morris, who's got some pace, and now possibly David Villa this week. … All the tricks and cutbacks, and the way that David Villa creates space for himself in the box is special, and [it's important] not being over aggressive and under-disciplined and leaving your feet because he does draw a lot of PKs as well. So trying to prepare him as best we can without overwhelming him is kind of the balance we're looking for right now."
Yaro looked up for the challenge in Seattle, putting in a solid shift in Philly's 2-1 loss to the Sounders and offering a glimpse as to why the Union made a big draft-day deal to snag him at No. 2 overall in this year's SuperDraft.
Yaro, who started next to former Georgetown teammate Keegan Rosenberry, was certainly happy with how it went despite the outcome of the game.
"It's a big deal when you get to make a debut, and it's even bigger when you're playing on the road against a team like that with a crowd like that," said Yaro, who replaced the injured Ken Tribbett in the lineup. "It was great. I felt good.
"I think I did well, from all the feedback that I've gotten from my coaches and my teammates. It's tough to really look at yourself and think that things went well when you didn't get a result but, that said, it being my first MLS game, I think it went pretty well."
The timing of Yaro's MLS debut was interesting because it came a week after he had an own goal in the first minute of Union affiliate Bethlehem Steel FC's 4-0 loss to New York Red Bulls II.
The Georgetown product had another scary moment against Seattle when he hit a ball backwards that goalie Andre Blake had to save. But he settled down from there - and pushed away the memory from the Bethlehem game, which is any defender's worst nightmare.
"You have to learn from it and move on," Yaro said. "That's something that Jim has talked to me about a lot, that when I make a mistake, learn from it and move on and try to get to the next play. That game, I knew it was a bad mistake and we lost on the road … but it was a good lesson and I took my lessons away from that game and tried to stay positive and hopefully not repeat the same mistakes again."
Considering Yaro was coming off such a rough appearance in a USL game, Curtin could have easily decided to give the start to Brazilian center back Anderson, who was ahead of Yaro on the depth chart for most of the preseason.
But Curtin opted for Yaro in part because Anderson is left-footed and might have a more difficult time at right center back. Yaro's blistering speed was another big reason for the decision as the Union prepped for the very fast Morris.
"Josh had a tough game, no question about it, for Bethlehem," Curtin said. "We talked about it being a learning curve for him. You have to step up, the game's going to be a lot faster, the atmosphere's going to be a lot crazier in Seattle than it is down at Bethlehem. But he had good players around him that helped him and made it easy and made his job predictable.
"It's a good first step but I'm not naive. I know it's just one good game from him and we need more."
With Tribbett still recovering from an ankle injury, Yaro should get another chance to show what he can do Saturday at Talen Energy Stadium (4 p.m., 6ABC). But Tribbett played well enough in the team's first five games to probably hold onto his starting spot when healthy - meaning this could be Yaro's last such opportunity for a while.
And he's ready to take what he learned in Seattle and apply it to his home debut if called upon.
"Playing down there, the challenge was the crowd and being on the road," Yaro said. "But every game is going to pose a new challenge. And I've just got to be ready for it and find ways to overcome those challenges."
