Statement from the U:

CHESTER, Pa. (November 7, 2024) – Philadelphia Union today announced they have parted ways with Head Coach Jim Curtin. As the process to find a new head coach will begin immediately, details regarding the interim coaching staff will be announced in the coming days.

“Jim has been a remarkable leader and an integral part of our team’s success during his tenure,” said Jay Sugarman, Principal Owner, Philadelphia Union. “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.”

“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.”

Curtin was named head coach of the Union in 2014. Over the course of 11 seasons, he broke numerous records and set new milestones. Most notably, Curtin guided the Union to their first MLS Cup final appearance in 2022 after a record-breaking season, including most wins (19), most goals scored (72), fewest goals conceded (26), and greatest goal differential (+46) in club history. Additionally, Curtin helped the club achieve first place in the Eastern Conference for the second time in three years, clinching a Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League berth for the second time in club history.

Curtin became the youngest two-time recipient of the Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year award (2020, 2022), becoming the fifth coach overall in league history to win the award multiple times and the first Philadelphia-based head coach across the five major North American men’s professional sports leagues to twice win a Coach of the Year award in their respective sport.

The club has begun their search for a head coach, following Major League Soccer’s guidelines.

Philadelphia Union Principal Owner Jay Sugarman and Sporting Director Ernst Tanner will address the media on Monday, November 11.

Curtin was under contract through 2026 and re-upped just last summer, so we should all be able to read between the lines here. Things have been building up behind the scenes for a little bit. Plus, Jay Sugarman and the Union don’t operate this way. They’re typically very calculated and careful and don’t take on buyout or dead money situations. I think everyone knew Curtin was frustrated with the lack of spending. You could hear it in the press conferences, straight up. I don’t know how many times he said something to the effect of, “we need all 11 players to play well, blah blah.” That was him telling fans and media that the Union lacked superstars and had to play a blue collar team game to win.

And when that blue collar team game was clicking, man was it good. They pressed teams into oblivion en route to the 2020 Supporters’ Shield, and only lost out on the 2022 Shield by a fugazi tiebreaker situation. They coughed up a late lead in MLS Cup and fell in penalties, and he was so close to winning multiple trophies in Chester; his teams just couldn’t get over the hump. 2014 Open Cup, 2015 Open Cup, 2018 Open Cup, 2022 MLS Cup – so on and so forth. More often than not, Curtin had less talent than the other coach, so the fact that the Union won as many games as they did, and were as formidable as they were, is a testament to the job he did here. Nobody in the history of Philadelphia sport has squeezed more blood out of a stone. It’s just a shame that it ended this way.

Here’s a question, while we “effort” more information –

Is this a desirable job? Are coaches lining up to work for Jay Sugarman? They’re gonna get what – moneyball and some academy kids? This is a team coming out of the best run in franchise history and likely entering a rebuild. The front office and ownership told the Sons of Ben this summer that the philosophy isn’t going to change. So if you’re a candidate, the upside is what? Getting your foot in the door? Your first opportunity to coach? Because established coaches can find better jobs in MLS, or abroad. That’s what makes me think this is Marlon LeBlanc’s job to lose. We shall see!