Philadelphia Union has fired longtime head coach Jim Curtin, the club announced Thursday.
The Union opted to dismiss their manager after a poor 2024 regular season that saw the Eastern Conference club finish in 12th place in the division and as a result missed the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since the 2017 campaign.
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Curtin was integral in making the Union playoff regulars in his 10 years at the club. Since his appointment in June 2014, Curtin guided the Union to the 2020 Supporters' Shield—the team's first-ever piece of silverware—while making Subaru Park a fortress for Philadelphia.
“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,” Ernst Tanner, Union's sporting director, said in an announcement.
The 45-year-old tallied a 174W-93D-183L record in all competitions as the Union boss. Curtin was often seen as a coach doing more with less as Philadelphia has never really been the kind of MLS team to shell out hefty transfer fees or pay players salaries comparable to Lionel Messi or Lorenzo Insigne's.
Curtin nearly won MLS Cup in 2022 but his side came up just short in penalty kicks in the final against Steve Cherundolo's LAFC team that featured former stars like Gareth Bale and Giorgio Chiellini. The former Chicago FC player was also named MLS Coach of the Year in 2020 and 2022.
The Athletic reports that Curtin could be a candidate for the vacant head coaching positions at fellow MLS teams Atlanta United and St Louis CITY. Both teams dismissed their respective Gonzalo Pineda and Bradley Carnell during the season and are still searching for their next permanent coaches.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Philadelphia Union Part Ways with Manager Jim Curtin.
