Jim Curtin got to talk soccer with one of Philly’s biggest fans, Joel Embiid

Any 76ers fan who follows Joel Embiid on Twitter knows the superstar center is a big soccer fan. The Union’s marketing department has known it for years, having hosted Embiid at games as far back as 2014.

Union manager Jim Curtin has long known it too, even though he’s only a lurker on Twitter these days. So it was no surprise that when Curtin and a few Union players visited a Sixers practice on Sunday, they took some time to chat with Embiid about the world’s game.

“Joel came down and talked to [Dániel] Gazdag and [Alejandro] Bedoya and myself probably for a good 35 minutes,” Curtin said of the city’s most famous Arsenal and Real Madrid fan.

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“He knows the game about as well as anyone that I get to talk to on a daily basis,” Curtin said. “[He] has a future once his NBA career is over as a coach or a scout in soccer, because he was really impressive with his knowledge of the game. … I knew he was a fan because he’s been out to our games before, but to see just how in-depth he could go and speak the game was really impressive.”

Embiid also proudly supports his native Cameroon’s national team, which could have the Union’s Olivier Mbaizo on the squad at next month’s World Cup. But basketball national teams are a different story.

Embiid has never played for Cameroon. He gained French citizenship in July, fueling speculation that he could play at the 2024 Olympics in Paris for a nation where some of his family lives. And he gained U.S. citizenship last month, opening the door for him to play for this country.

Curtin also got to meet with Sixers coach Doc Rivers, which turned into a moment for two coaches to reflect on life in the Philadelphia sports fishbowl.

“Doc Rivers is a great guy, awesome guy,” Curtin said. “It was nice. Shared some stories about coaching and different things in life, and that kind of stuff.”

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Bedoya still isn’t healthy yet

Union midfielder and captain Alejandro Bedoya trained to the side again Tuesday as he deals with a nagging hip flexor strain. Bedoya missed two games in late September, and returned to the field as a second-half substitute in the regular-season ending win over Toronto.

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Curtin said Bedoya’s status “will be close” for Thursday’s conference semifinal playoff game against FC Cincinnati at Subaru Park (8 p.m., FS1 and Fox Deportes), but Bedoya definitely won’t start.

“I can say that pretty confidently now,” Curtin said. “He’s just not quite ready to be a starter, and in a game like this, with the intensity that it’s going to start with, having been off [starting] now for five and a half weeks, it’s challenging … Hopefully he can help us off the bench in some way.”

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