The Union and NYCFC are different from last year’s playoffs but the memories aren’t gone yet

Union manager Jim Curtin usually doesn’t like dwelling on the past. But when it comes to his team’s playing New York City FC in the Eastern Conference final of Major League Soccer’s playoffs for the second straight year, he can’t help it.

“People always ask me, ‘Have you moved on from it?’” Curtin said of the Union’s 2-1 loss last December at Subaru Park, on a day when 11 Union players were sidelined because of COVID-19 protocols.

His answer?

“I say it all the time: ‘I’ll never move on from it, because it still happened,’” he said. “And it’s still a part of our history, and it’s part of the Philadelphia lore, and a tough thing that happened to us. I’m a big believer, though, if you work hard, good things happen for you.”

The Union did that and then some, and now here they are again. This time, they’re much closer to full strength heading into Sunday night’s clash in Chester (8:25 p.m., FS1 and Fox Deportes), having to worry only about Alejandro Bedoya’s hip flexor injury instead of teamwide COVID-19 protocols.

“It’ll make it sweeter if we’re able to go on a little bit further and reach our first MLS Cup,” Curtin said.

» READ MORE: Jim Curtin knew how stacked the odds were against the Union last year — and that his team almost beat them

But the best reference point for what could happen Sunday night might not come from last year. This year’s two regular-season games were heated occasions too, with 57 combined fouls and 14 cards between them — including an infamous red card given to Union athletic trainer Paul Rushing for shoving a New York player while trying to treat Julián Carranza.

Keeping heads cool will be crucial in a game where both teams will likely try to get under each other’s skin again.

“Every time we play them, it’s a tough game and a good fight — and there’s always a talking point for whatever reason,” said Union centerback Jack Elliott, who almost always has the coolest head on the field. “You have to keep 11 players on the pitch and there’s going to be people trying to wind each other up and get reds and yellows flying about. But I think that’s a key point, to not get sucked into that side of it, and play smart and hard at the same time.”

» READ MORE: Want Union-NYCFC hype? Sean Johnson won’t give it to you, and that’s just how he likes it.

Elliott and his teammates will also have to contend with a New York team that plays a different style than the defending champions did earlier this year.

Former NYCFC star striker Valentín Castellanos played in both games against the Union before leaving in the summer, and the June 25 meeting at Subaru Park was interim Pigeons manager Nick Cushing’s third game in charge after his former boss Rony Deila’s departure.

It took Cushing a while to settle on the best tactics for a Castellanos-less squad. But New York has won six straight games since Cushing’s 3-4-3 formation took hold in mid-September, with a formidable front three of young wingers Santi Rodríguez and (especially) Gabriel Pereira flanking veteran striker Héber.

Rodríguez had three assists in City’s two playoff games so far this year, Héber and midfield playmaker Maxi Moralez both scored in each game, and Pereira had a goal and an assist.

“They have a lot of little wrinkles and nuances to the group,” Curtin said. “They’re very well-structured and drilled, and I think Nick has done a great job as a coach there.”

» READ MORE: Why Julián Carranza’s role in Union-NYCFC could be both big and underrated

If there is one certainty heading into Sunday night, it’s that the Union have a level of buzz about them that they’ve never had before. That would be impressive at any time, but it’s especially so when so many of the city’s other pro teams are commanding big spotlights.

Curtin was just a baby in the early 1980s, an era that for many Philadelphians represented the city’s sports pinnacle until the Eagles won the Super Bowl 38 years later.

In 1980 alone, the Eagles made the Super Bowl, the Flyers made the Stanley Cup Final, the 76ers made the NBA Finals, and the Phillies won the World Series. Three years later, the Phillies and Flyers made their finals again, and the 76ers won it all.

“My parents have some old T-shirts of all the championship teams from the ’80s,” the Oreland native said. “I don’t remember them — obviously I was 2 or 3 years old. But from what they’re saying, what people are saying, it rekindles memories of that time in Philly where everybody was playing for championships, everybody was having success.”

This year has a five-team frenzy all at once. The Phillies are in the World Series, the Union are in their conference final, the Eagles are 6-0, the Flyers are surprisingly good, and the star-studded Sixers have just started the NBA season (albeit not well).

And a soccer team with players from 12 countries has come to understand that they have a role in it all. Mikael Uhre even went to the mass celebration on Broad Street when the Phillies won the pennant.

“Our guys are going to their games, their guys are coming to our games — that camaraderie is real, and I think it’s something that speaks to the growth of soccer, for sure,” Curtin said. “Because we’re the new team in town, let’s be honest. But to see it almost be as equals now is something that I think we’ve worked very hard for in this city, and it’s something that I’m very proud of as the leader of the team.”

» READ MORE: Jim Curtin knew the Union could be good this year. He didn’t think they’d be this good.