Jim Curtin has turned the Philadelphia Union into one of the more competitive teams in MLS, but a disappointing 2024 has led to a major change from the front office.
The Union have parted ways with head coach Curtin, the club announced Thursday. Curtin had served as head coach of the club for the past 11 seasons, leading the team to one Supporters’ Shield, one Eastern Conference title, and one MLS Cup Final appearance.
“Jim has been a remarkable leader and an integral part of our team’s success during his tenure,” said Union Principal Owner Jay Sugarman. “I have had the privilege to watch him grow into one of the top coaches in the league and deliver strong results and memorable moments that will be ingrained in our club’s history. This has been a difficult decision due in part to the immense gratitude and respect we have for him. We have no doubt he’ll find great success in his future coaching endeavors.”
Curtin was named Union head coach in 2014 and went on to become one of the longest-tenured coaches in recent MLS history. The Union’s record-breaking 2022 campaign featured the club’s most wins (19), most goals scored (72), fewest goals conceded (26), and greatest goal differential (+46).
Curtin became the youngest two-time recipient of the MLS Coach of the Year award (2020, 2022), becoming the fifth coach overall in league history to win the award multiple times.
He also groomed plenty of homegrown players in the Union academy and first team including current U.S. men’s national team standouts Brenden Aaronson, Auston Trusty, Mark McKenzie, and Paxten Aaronson.
“We want to extend our heartfelt appreciation to Jim for his passion and dedication to this club over the last ten seasons. He greatly contributed to the success the club has achieved in recent years and for that we are extremely grateful,” said Ernst Tanner, Sporting Director, Philadelphia Union. “We thank Jim for the significant impact he made both on the field and in the community. Following the 2024 season we recognize the need for change. We’ll continue to evaluate our sporting strategy and make necessary changes this offseason to best set the team up for success.”
The Union took a step back in 2024, failing to reach the MLS Cup Playoffs. They finished 12th in the Eastern Conference with 37 points in 34 matches.
Nobody is safe in soccer. Have one off year and it’s out the door. I agree with others that he will certainly get an offer before the start of the next season. Given what he has done, he deserves other chances.
Former City group manager Patrick Viera to get Caven Sullivan ready? Or perhaps Thierry Henry to help him blossom into a star?
Uh…wut?
Philadelphia ranked 26th out of 29 MLS team in total payroll. They spent just $16 million in 2024…only St. Louis, San Jose, and Montreal spent less. Of those, only Montreal made the playoffs – sorta, as a wild card – and they got bounced by Atlanta. In 10 years, despite dragging near the bottom virtually every year in terms of payroll – actually, in 2022, they were dead last and still made the MLS Cup final – Curtin won 147 games, lost 116, and had 75 draws across all competitions.
But yeah, let’s fire the guy. This is just…unacceptable. I’m totally confident you can do better, Philadelphia.
I’ll just shake my head and walk away. I’m fairly confident his agent’s phone lit up a like a Vegas slot machine on payday the second this news got out. And if Curtin could do this as the Oakland A’s of MLS, what happens when somebody gives him the Yankees?
Couldn’t agree more. He’s a great tactician and excels at doing more with less.
I’m sure he’ll have a new gig before the new season starts.
yeah i long had this discussion with fellow dynamo fans about how when we were spending last or near last in the league, anything but a wooden spoon finish actually reflected the usually-wet-behind-ears coach and bargain-bin roster playing out of their minds. they now spend to a second tier level. they now are usually back in the playoffs.
the union, to me, usually don’t spend much and make it someplace off quality of their academy plus organization. the senior team head coach is obviously a lot of organization. even this past down year they were near bottom on spending but a win away from playoffs in terms of points.
i read stuff where he was seen as stubborn on tactics but that often reads as the GM and HC aren’t same page. you should know how a jim curtin team lines up and what a jim curtin team needs. kind of like there is a template for a ben olsen team, but the dynamo could badly use some scorers. you should then be signing me forwards and not backup DMs in the summer.
them improving to championship contender in recent years before receding to non playoffs may have frustrated the owner. like he thought his faith in the coach was finally paying off, then no. but, dude, it’s a pretty cheap team and what success they had was a miracle on their budget. if they want a championship, spend some money and maybe ask your coach what type players he wants when you do it.
i don’t think curtin is the best, and i will be curious how he fares in a second or third team, but he’s been pretty good on very little for a while, and is almost a victim of the success. like expectations went up even though spending didn’t.
excellent post q, agree 100%
Wow…….