Following his team’s 5-1 annihilation of Minnesota United, head coach Jim Curtin said his team will continue to fight for more as they look toward third place in the Eastern Conference.
Fearless in Philly
“We're not scared of anybody,” Curtin began. “We respect every team we play, but we're not scared of anybody right now.”
The Union showed no fear at all on Saturday, storming out to a four goal lead by the end of the first half. That ability to come out and dominate a match that could wrap up a playoff spot showed that Philadelphia didn’t feel the burden of a must-win game, but instead relished the chance to show they were the better side from top to bottom.
“I know, in talking with the coaches around this league, teams don't like playing us right now,” Curtin revealed, “Which is a good thing.”
Fearless Fafa
Fafa Picault’s first half brace was a fitting finish to a week in which the winger was finally recalled to the US National Team. Picault was unstoppable in the first half, and any time Minnesota left him isolated, he drove toward goal with confidence.
“He wants to get better every day,” Curtin said. “He's taking that next step of finishing plays off in front of goal, which is critical for the position he plays.
“When I told him yesterday he got the call into the US, I told him to navigate that in his own way in his brain, not get too high, and we still, most importantly, have a big performance against Minnesota. I think I asked for three goals and he gave two, but that's a decent starting point.”
Fearless, but maybe slightly nervous
“I usually have to sit up here and act like I have all the answers,” the Union head coach told the press, “But I was nervous going into this game.
“The players deserve all the credit for stepping up and executing and playing at a really high level in the first half. I'm happy for them.”
But while he’s happy with the result, Curtin emphasized that right now this team believes they can reach for even greater goals as the season winds down.
“We also have our eyes on the teams that are ahead of us right now,” he said. ”We've had the mentality for the past two months now to only look forward. And try to climb as high up the table as we possibly can. Everybody knows the scores, everybody sees the standings right now, we're in a good spot but we still have a lot of work to do.
“The most important thing in a season is to be playing well going into the playoffs. We have that right now. It's powerful. There's belief in the group, we can go on the road, we can play well at home, and that's a dangerous thing.”
The rest of the league knows the Union are indeed a dangerous thing right now, and they will be wary of facing Philadelphia in the postseason. First, however, the Union must try and knock off the high-flying New York Red Bulls on October 21st as they close out the regular season portion of their 2018 home schedule.
