"After 34 games, the real season starts."
That's how Philadelphia Union head coach Jim Curtin began his statement to the press before his team departed for New York City to face NYCFC in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs.
"We're the underdog, that is clear," he continued. "But the group has shown over the course of the year that we're not scared of anybody."
The Union are 1-1-0 against NYC this season, knocking off the Cityzens at home and falling in the last match of the regular season. "We need to have a better performance than we did the other day," Curtin emphasized.