The Philadelphia Union fired longtime head coach Jim Curtin on Thursday, bringing an end to his decade-long spell in charge of the team. The Union missed out on the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2017 this season, finishing 12th in the Eastern Conference. It was a sudden drop after reaching the 2022 MLS Cup final, though a series of injuries derailed their hopes considerably this season.
Curtin has long been synonymous with the Union – the team is the only one he has coached and is the team’s longest-serving coach, taking over as the head coach in June 2014, just four years after their expansion season. The Pennsylvania native has also been on the Union’s books since June 2010, when he was hired as an academy coach. He was promoted to assistant coach ahead of the 2013 season by then-head coach John Hackworth, taking over for Hackowrth on an interim basis after a poor run of form to start the 2014 season.
For a passionate, unapologetic and informed discussion about the USMNT and the state of the American game catch the Call It What You Want podcast! Download and follow Call It What You Want on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts!
During his stint as the interim, Curtin’s Union lost just six of their remaining 15 games and made it to the U.S. Open Cup final, which led the club to reward him with the head coach role on a full-time basis.
The Union’s trust in Curtin eventually paid off with a Supporters’ Shield win in 2020, the club’s first and only trophy so far. They were also the runners-up for the 2022 MLS Cup, as well as finalists in the 2014, 2015 and 2018 U.S. Open Cup finals.
Though Curtin signed a new long-term contract just over a year ago, their run of winning just nine games in 2024 was one of the Union’s worst showing in recent years.
Curtin is now the eighth head coach to be fired in MLS this season, and the Union job is now one of four in the league that is still currently vacant.
