Daily Links: Union begin playoff series with New England

Pressing Points | The real season starts now
The team had their final training before meeting New England again on Friday morning, and afterwards, Head Coach Jim Curtin met with the media, previewing their first round schedule.

Last dance? Philadelphia Union begin MLS Cup chase as changes loom
For head coach Jim Curtin, lifting the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy on Dec. 9 would be a fitting achievement for a club that’s been the league standard of consistency and excellence in recent years – and a fitting coda for some key players who could depart at season’s end.

MLS News

Previewing and predicting every first-round series of the MLS Cup Playoffs
With the conclusion of Wednesday’s inaugural Wild Card matches, the first-round matches of the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs are set. The best-of-three series – a nod to the first four years of the league – will kick off on Saturday
and run through November 12.

MLS’s new playoff format is flawed, unpopular, and about to be exposed
There’s no valid competitive reason for a best-of-three first round and single games the rest of the way. The real reasons are commercial and MLS has barely hidden them.