Already in the midst of their best MLS regular season in club history, the Philadelphia Union have ambitions for much more.
With an obvious eye on winning their first MLS Cup, and they have already secured a home playoff game in the first round of the Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs, Philly are also focused on qualifying for the 2020 Concacaf Champions League.
Despite a midweek trip to San Jose to face the Earthquakes on Wednesday night (11 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+, DAZN) with a few players unavailable through injury, head coach Jim Curtin is focused on picking up points in the chase for better seeding and CCL qualification.
"It's very much in our minds, to the point where we have formulas put together of what we'll need each week, in terms of getting that top spot," Curtin told reports on a media conference call Tuesday. "If LAFC, NYCFC or Atlanta win MLS Cup, it opens another Champions League spot. Obviously our goal is to win MLS Cup and secure it that way, but at the same time, we have a real eye on keeping a team like Seattle below us in points."
MLS sends five representatives to the CCL, including: MLS Cup winner, US Open Cup winner (Atlanta), Supporters' Shield winner (LAFC can clinch Wednesday), Eastern Conference regular season winner (NYCFC can clinch Wednesday) and Canadian Championship winner (Montreal Impact or Toronto FC).
If one of the teams already qualified for CCL win MLS Cup, that fifth spot goes to the next best regular season finisher. Currently, the Union are atop that particular chart, ahead of the Sounders, Minnesota United and the LA Galaxy.
"It's very much on our radar," Curtin added. "It's very important for the club in terms of exposure to play in the Champions League, play against the best team and it'd be great for our young players to get that experience. It's something we definitely want to be apart of and have an eye on. It's very much on our mind, it's why I say getting as many points as possible now, even though we've secured that home playoff game, every point is going to matter."
The Quakes are fighting for their playoff lives, but will do so without two key stars Cristian Espinoza and Chris Wondolowski, who picked up red cards in the club's 3-1 loss to Atlanta last weekend and are suspended. Head coach Matias Almeyda was sent off as well.
"It certainly changed our thinking, the two red cards happening for sure, but it's going to be a rallying cry for San Jose," Curtin said. "They're in a tough run of form, but they're still a really good team."
