“We've earned the right to play at home with our strong record and we have to take advantage of that now."
That's what Philadelphia Union head coach Jim Curtin had to say about Sunday afternoon's 2019 Audi MLS Cup Playoff contest against New York Red Bulls that will take place at Talen Energy Stadium at 3 p.m. on October 20th. With a home record that saw the Boys in Blue post a 10-3-4, the Union look to keep the momentum going in the second home contest of 2019 against the Red Bulls. Speaking Friday afternoon on radio appearance on “The Daily Ticket With Sean Brace”, Curtin spoke about the pros and cons that the contest brings outside the postseason magnitude.
“They're going to high-press us. They're a very good team and we respect them a lot. But we have to approach the game and be fearless in that we're in our home stadium,” he continued. “The pressure for once is actually on us now. We're the favorite. That's a new role for us to play and we have to do it in a way that's emblematic of Philadelphia – which is to be brave, to not be scared. They're kind of like a bully with the way that they play; they want to be physical. If you punch the bully in the nose, a lot of time it backs down. That has to be our mentality from the opening whistle.”
Curtin also used the appearance to reaffirm the progress of two key pieces to the Union's gameplan that missed the regular season finale against New York City FC, as captain Alejandro Bedoya and leading goalscorer Kacper Przybylko were out due to injuries.
“[Bedoya's] ready to go. The quad is fine. He was actually at training [Friday] striking balls full and he'll be participating fully in [Saturday’s] practice, which is plenty of time to get ready for [next] Sunday.”
“He'll be ready for the game for sure,” Curtin said of his Polish-German striker. “We're just being a little cautious with him right now in training, but it's responded well to all the tests we've put him through – all the MRIs and X-rays have been positive. So Kacper is a guy that everybody knows is vital to our attack, scored tons of goals for us and has been great being that first line of defense for us. He'll be ready. I don’t want Union fans to be worried about that.”
You can listen to the complete interview between Curtin and Brace below.
