CHESTER, Pa. — After consecutive wins over Western Conference powers Seattle Sounders FC and Sporting Kansas City last week, the Philadelphia Union look like a team capable of not only qualifying for the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs but being a tough out once they get there.
For Union head coach Jim Curtin, however, winning the U.S. Open Cup championship takes precedence to winning games in the playoffs.
“If you ask me: would I rather go on a long playoff run or lift a trophy, it’s always lift a trophy — always,” Curtin told reporters Monday before the Union flew to Houston to take on the Dynamo in Wednesday’s USOC title game (8 pm ET; ESPN2). “To go on a playoff run and lose, at the end of the day there’s only two outcomes that are good, and it’s the MLS Cup and the U.S. Open Cup. People can say Supporters’ Shield too … but it’s few and far between and this is an opportunity to lift a trophy.”
Curtin has always seemed to feel stronger about the Open Cup than other MLS coaches, some of whom tend to prioritize league games over the 105-year-old knockout tournament. His love of the tourney began as a player when he won it twice with the Chicago Fire in 2003 and 2006, reveling in the joy of celebrating a championship with teammates. And it continued in Philadelphia when he guided the Union to the 2014 U.S. Open Cup final just after taking over as the team’s interim head coach, and then again the following year after he got the permanent job.
And even though both of those tourney runs ended with heartbreaking losses at home, the ride to the finals were filled with plenty of memorable moments, including extra-time winners, shootouts, weather delays and one near-brawl with the New York Cosmos.
“It’s a competition that brings out some crazy nights for sure,” Curtin said. “It’s for the fans. If you think about how it starts, you can literally have the equivalent of a bar league team enter the competition. You see it right now, [qualifying has] already started for next year and I get the little updates and videos and it’s a group of guys who are literally slamming back beers after a victory. It’s a cool thing to think they can eventually go on a run and beat guys who are paid to this for a living. It makes it unique.
“It’s kind of the lore that the FA Cup has. Has it caught on with the exact same fever behind it yet as it has in England? No. But at the same time, it’s still a special competition.”
And winning the competition would be an even more special — with the added bonus of boosting the club’s standing by earning a Concacaf Champions League berth.
“We’ll put everything into this game,” Curtin said. “Guys will empty their tanks. … We have to step up now in a big spot, and hopefully we can get that first trophy for our fans.”
