For final, Union brimming with confidence

CHESTER » Against his better judgement, Jim Curtin took a trip down memory lane, aided by the Sherpa that is the Internet’s search bar.

But as knee-jerk as his revulsion at seeing himself four years ago, then an interim coach scrapping for a fulltime gig, leading the Union into the final at PPL Park against the Seattle Sounders, the perspective was welcome.

“I pressed play on the YouTube highlights of that one, but it was a hell of a game,” Curtin was saying Monday, hours before his team would depart for Houston to play in the 2018 U.S. Open Cup final. “It was end-to-end, two teams going at it. For a final, it was actually fun to watch, whereas Kansas City was your typical ugly, scrappy, grind-it-out final that ends in PKs.

“Could’ve probably flipped a coin at the end and it could go either way once it hits PKs.”

Curtin has been here before, his Union squads earning the honor of hosting the 2014 and 2015 finals. Both times, they ended in losses, the Sounders marching out of Chester with a 3-1 win after extra time and Sporting Kansas City prevailing in a shootout in 2015. Though painful, the history is instructive, for the Union the storm into Houston Wednesday night (8, ESPN2) in a fundamentally different position as either of those two finals, and not just geographically speaking.

In their previous two finals, the Union were the clear underdog, the inferior team hinging the entire worth of a season on one game it hoped to somehow steal. If the 2014 Sounders or 2015 SKC would beat the Union nine times out of 10, it was up to Curtin to somehow make that final the 10th game.

“I think it certainly has a different feel,” Curtin said. “Each one’s unique in its own regard. … The Seattle one, I’ve said it to you guys a hundred times, we were happy to be there, to be honest. It was a group that we got on a run, we had a good group of players but you look who was subbed into that game for Seattle and for us and, it’s no disrespect to anybody, but it’s a different level.”

This time, things are different. The Union (14-12-4, 46 points) are flying high, winners of six of their last nine games since the semifinal OC triumph over Chicago Aug. 8. They are in solid playoff position, sitting fifth in the East, 11 points ahead of seventh-place D.C. United, though D.C. has two games in hand.

The Dynamo (8-13-8, 32) are 10th in the West and can be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention as early as this weekend. Wilmer Cabrera’s team has been unable to parlay last year’s run to the Western final to sustained success; instead, all of their eggs are now in the Open Cup basket.

Many of the tangible factors point to the Union bringing home their first silverware. The club is 8-1-0 in midweek games this season. They have won a franchise-best six road games and carry a 5-1-1 record in their last seven away contests. Houston is just 7-5-3 at home in MLS this season and needed penalty kicks to get by Los Angeles FC in the semifinal. Houston is 1-7-4 over its last 12 league games.

All of those streaks include a 3-1 win for the Union at BBVA Compass Stadium July 25, aided by a red card to midfielder Tomas Martinez (which was later rescinded by the MLS Disciplinary Committee).

The Union seem to have an edge in the intangibles category, too. The club last week vanquished the demons of its last two USOC final conquerors, a 1-0 win over Seattle last Wednesday, and a 2-0 victory over SKC Sunday.

“I went to 16 years of Catholic School but I have my own thinking now and I’m not a big superstitious guy,” Curtin said.

In the less metaphysical realm, the Union have discerned a stronger identity than any previous Philadelphia incarnation, as reflected in a franchise record for wins in a season.

“We know who we are and we have our identity,” forward CJ Sapong said. “We pretty much feel like any team we go up against, we have an opportunity to beat them. So we’re approaching this game the same way.”

“Before Earnie (Stewart) left, he talked about creating that culture within this club and I think we have a really good locker room,” captain Alejandro Bedoya said Sunday after the SKC win. “So I’m happy for the guys that stepped in and got the job done. We’ve been saying it all year: We can play with anybody. It’s one thing to say it but we really do believe we can play with anybody.”

Houston won’t roll over Wednesday. The Dynamo are lethal on the counterattack, via wingers Romell Quioto (11 goals) and Alberth Elis (nine goals). Despite their record, they have the fifthbest goal differential in the West at plus-4 (the Union remain minus-2), while the Dynamo are tied for fourth in the West at 43 goals allowed.

But something about the Union’s aura inspires reason to believe. Maybe it was Jay Simpson, in his first start of the season Sunday, burning Western Conference leaders SKC for two goals. Maybe it’s the fact that so many of Curtin’s moves (his faith in young Auston Trusty, his vote of confidence to Cory Burke to replace Sapong while tabbing Sapong for success on the wing) have paid off.

Or maybe it’s that a hot team has precious little time this week to ponder what it might be like to lose three straight OC finals or allow the gravity of a Cup contest to land squarely on their shoulders.

“It is just another soccer game,” Sapong said. “I think the thing I learned the most is, just like any game, it takes a while maybe to get your bearings. But at some point the competitive nature, it comes down to mentality, that will take over eventually. I believe that this group definitely has what it takes to perform. We’ve been playing well from the first spot to the last spot on the team. That’s something that’s really permeating through the team now and I think we’ll show well on Wednesday.”