The Philadelphia Union have fired head coach Jim Curtin.
Curtin, who was the 2nd longest-tenured coach in MLS, has been scapegoated by the front office.
Does this move alienate the fans even more?
Let’s make no mistake about it: The Philadelphia Union would not be the team they are today if not for Jim Curtin. Curtin started with the Union Academy in 2010 before becoming an assistant with the MLS side in 2012. In 2014, Jim Curtin took over as interim head coach and never looked back.
While the beginning years were rough, Curtin laid the foundation that the club desperately needed. In his tenure, the Union became the top team in MLS from 2019 to 2022. Curtin brought the only two trophies currently in the Union’s case: the 2020 Supporters Shield and the 2022 Eastern Conference Championship. As many fans unfortunately know, Curtin and the Union were just 90 seconds away from the 2022 MLS Cup before Gareth Bale would rip it away.
Jim Curtin will have his name in the Union’s Ring of Honor.
Tone-Deaf Ownership
Unfortunately, the theme of the Union in 2024 has been tone-deaf ownership. Jim Curtin earned the right to walk away on his own terms. He had turned down multiple opportunities both in America and overseas. However, Curtin stayed to build the Union to glory.
At the end of the day, ownership handcuffed Curtin and his roster. When Curtin took over in 2014, the Union’s philosophy was to spend minimally and build through the youth academy. Fast-forward to 2024, and that has not changed. Jim Curtin did more with what he was given than anyone could have asked. Despite blowback from the fanbase, Ownership made it clear spending would not change.
Fortunately, Union ownership will continue funneling millions into a sportsplex and premium seating. Fear not; the stadium, roster, and gameday experience for fans will remain the same. When the season ticket waitlist evaporates, and the stadium is empty in 2025, ownership will get what they asked for.
Curtin Deserved Better
Curtin has his gripes as a manager—the use of substitutes and unwillingness to give other guys true opportunities, to name two. However, Curtin was a damn good manager. It was clear where Curtin’s opinions stood in terms of spending. Many times, during 2024s struggles, Curtin would take subtle jabs at the lack of spending, and rightfully so. It was clear this factored into ownership’s decision to move on.
While the landscape of MLS changed, Union ownership refused to change with it. About every MLS team makes an effort to bring in a multi-million-dollar superstar. The Union just won’t do that. Ownership will bring in a manager they can get in the door for cheap and do the same things that brought them to 2024’s low point.
The move further alienates a fanbase that already felt shorted by club leadership. Union fans are amongst the top in MLS. While the support for the crest on the Union jersey will never waiver, fans will start to not put up with ownership’s constant dismissal of those who got them here, both in terms of fans and team personnel.
Every Union fan wants to see the club succeed.
However, fans will stop supporting a club that does not support them.
PHOTO: Wes Shepherd/PHLSportsNation
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