Mar 5, 2024; Chester, PA, USA; Philadelphia Union midfielder Alejandro Bedoya (11) is greeted by head coach Jim Curtain as he is substituted for midfielder Jesus Bueno (20) during the second half against C.F. Pachuca at Subaru Park. Mandatory Credit: Caean Couto-USA TODAY Sports Caean Couto
Success is accrued in tablespoons and spilled in buckets. The Philadelphia Union reached the step below the mountaintop two years ago. Their loss in MLS Cup 2022 was not Jim Curtin's fault. That they got that far at all was primarily due to Curtin's coaching prowess and capacity to do more with less.
The 2024 Union missed the MLS playoffs, which is really hard to do. Success has a dozen fathers and failure is an orphan, and so this is the result:
Sources confirm @MLSist and @FelipeCar's shocking scoop: The Philadelphia Union have parted ways with head coach Jim Curtin.
Union feel they need to go in a new direction. Curtin two-time winner of MLS Coach of the Year. https://t.co/cFbnOtA0uO
Sportswriters use the word "outrage" far too often. Stuff like an outfielder who is pretty good losing his arbitration case is regularly deemed "outrageous." But let's be clear: The Union firing Jim Curtin is the epitome of outrageous.
The Philadelphia Union were only relevant for a handful of years (2019-2023) because Jim Curtin consistently did more with less. Even the 2022 team that lost in MLS Cup punched way above its weight. That team got that far because Curtin was just that good.
We don't make pronouncements like this without backup, so here you are:
This just doesn’t add up. You re-sign him to an extension, then completely gut the roster of any real quality (the words of the players not me) and then you let him go with 2 years left??? Jim will be a hot commodity, but not desperate because he has two years left on his deal.… https://t.co/qJSye0NCpS
If this is true it makes no sense to me at all. Jim Curtin has done an incredible job and has been the heart and soul of the club. https://t.co/JoKYAMHlWs
Legitimate soccer men took one look at this firing and said, yeah, that makes no sense at all. Because it doesn't.
If Curtin was tasked with leading the rebuild with academy players, he would have done that at a high level. The success of Brenden Aaronson and so many other Union players in other leagues attests to that.
If Curtin was given a healthy budget to sign established talent, he would have brought in quality players and managed them such that the Union would be right back in the hunt.
The one thing we can confidently say is that Curtin will not be unemployed for long. There are at least a dozen MLS clubs who would profit quickly from hiring Curtin.
An inarguable truth in competition is this: "If my opponent makes a move, am I happy or unhappy?"
All of MLS is delighted that the Union parted ways with Jim Curtin, because by doing so the Union made themselves worse.
