Day in the Life with Union coach Jim Curtin

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A day in the life for Philadelphia Union head coach Jim Curtin begins early-- around 5:30 a.m.

"It's the time of day where it's just me. I can plan my day, go for a run, collect my thoughts," he says.

His thoughts are constantly flowing.

"Your brain is going 24-7," he says.

And his brain is working well. The Union has spent most of the season in first place in MLS' Eastern Conference.

Curtin credits his players.

"They have a belief right now and they have confidence that they can beat anybody in our league," he says.

During our day with Curtin, we learn of his unique approaches. He calls them "progressive."

Curtin has placed GPS units on each player. He says, "So I know how many sprints they've done, what their heart rate is at when they're starting to fatigue. Maybe that's when I make a substitution."

Curtin also has a different approach to film sessions.

"I try to keep film sessions eight minutes and under, just attention span-wise", he says. "I think anytime you get over that threshold in the touchscreen generation...they can kind of switch off," he says.

Born in Montgomery County, Curtin was a standout player at Villanova. He played nine seasons in MLS. In 2010, he returned home to join the Union as a coach at their academy.

Four years later, he was named head coach.

"To be able to coach a team in the city where I'm from, to give them their first trophy is why I do this. I won't stop working until we get it," said Curtin.