Jim Curtin

Jim Curtin (born June 23, 1979) is a retired American soccer player and currently the head coach for the Philadelphia Union. Curtin spent most of his playing career for the Chicago Fire.

Jim Curtin
Personal information
Date of birth (1979-08-04) August 4, 1979
Place of birth Oreland, Pennsylvania, United States
Height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
1997–2000 Villanova Wildcats
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2008 Chicago Fire 151 (4)
2001 → Milwaukee Rampage (loan) 3 (0)
2008–2009 Chivas USA 21 (1)
Total 175 (5)
Teams managed
2013–2014 Philadelphia Union (assistant)
2014– Philadelphia Union
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Youth and college

Curtin grew up in Oreland, Pennsylvania and played high school soccer at Bishop McDevitt. He excelled in college soccer at Villanova University,[1] being named the Big East Rookie of the Year his freshman year, and taking home first-team All-Big East selections his junior and senior seasons.

Club career

Chicago Fire
Jim Curtin playing during the 2004 MLS All-Star Game, representing Chicago Fire.

Following graduation, Curtin became the first Wildcat to be drafted by the MLS when he was selected by the Chicago Fire.[2] Perceptions that Curtin was not athletic enough to play professionally, and the relative obscurity of Villanova, led to Curtin not being drafted until the third round of the 2001 MLS SuperDraft.[3]

Curtin made his professional debut against D.C. United at Soldier Field during the second week of the 2001 MLS season. Curtin was named to the starting line-up after starting tandem Diego Gutierrez and Andrew Lewis received straight red cards in the opening match against Columbus Crew.[4][5] In the same season, the Fire sent Curtin on loan to the Milwaukee Rampage in three early-season games and for the USL A-League playoffs. His rookie year saw 12 starts and registering 1,194 minutes.[6]

From his second season onward, Curtin would anchor a starting spot in the Fire's centerback tandem, started 22 games and played 2,121 minutes. Curtin started every game for the Fire in 2003, playing alongside Carlos Bocanegra and helped the team's defense compensate for Bocanegra's loss in 2004. He would go on to play in more than 200 games for the Fire, which included U.S. Open Cup championships in 2003 and 2006. He was also named 2004 MLS All-Star and the March of Dimes/Comcast Athlete of the Year in 2005.[1]

In 2014, while serving as head coach of the Philadelphia Union, Curtin was ceremonially retired as a Chicago Fire player.[7]

Chivas USA

On February 7, 2008, one day after his daughter Ryan was born he was traded to Chivas USA for a conditional pick in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft.[8] After two seasons in southern California, Curtin was waived by Chivas USA on January 26, 2010.[9]

Coaching career

Philadelphia Union

After departing Chivas, Curtin returned to the Philadelphia region and began working with the newly formed Philadelphia Union as a coach in the academy system in June 2010.[10] In November 2012, Curtin was named assistant coach for his hometown Philadelphia Union, under John Hackworth and alongside Brendan Burke and Rob Vartughian.[11]

During the 2014 season, Hackworth was fired after a run of poor results with Curtin being named interim manager during the team's search for a permanent replacement.[12] The Union saw a turnaround of form under Curtin, losing only 5 of the remaining 16 matches in the season and advanced to the U.S. Open Cup final, ultimately finishing runners-up to Seattle Sounders in extra time. This success was rewarded on November 7, 2014, the Philadelphia Union announced that Curtin would take the reins as the head coach; removing the "interim" title he had held previously.[13]

The 2015 season still saw the Union struggle during the regular season but made a second consecutive appearance in the U.S. Open Cup final, losing this one to penalty kicks at home to Sporting Kansas City.

Near the end of the 2015 season, the Union fired Nick Sakiewicz as CEO and appoint Earnie Stewart as "Sporting Director" to work with Curtin and address the team's struggles. Initial improvements saw the Union returning to the post-season in 2016 for the first time since the 2011 season. During this season, with a win over rivals New York City FC on April 23, 2016, Curtin set a record five consecutive home wins as well as becoming the highest wins coach in Union history.[14]

The Union were unable to build on their 2016 success, finishing with the same record but still missing the playoffs in 2017. Curtin was announced to retain his head coach position for the 2018 season.[15]

Ahead of the 2019 season, Union Sporting Director, Ernst Tanner, announced that Curtin would be retained for the upcoming season on a one-year extension.[16] By July of that season, the Union reach first place in the Eastern Conference and hitting the club's best start to a season. This success lead to the club announcing Curtin signed a two-year contract extension, to remain head coach through the 2021 season.[17]

Coaching statistics
As of match played 24 November 2020[18]
Coaching record by team and tenure
Team Nat From To Record
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
Philadelphia Union 10 June 2014 Present 240 99 54 87 371 338 +33 041.25
Total 240 99 54 87 371 338 +33 041.25

Honors

Club

Chicago Fire

Individual

Coaching

Philadelphia Union

References
  1. "Jim Curtin | Villanova Men's Soccer". villanova.com. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  2. "Chicago Fire Draft History". Chicago-fire.com. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  3. Chris Blakely (August 25, 2014). "Philadelphia Union: Jim Curtin Should Have Interim Tag Removed". stoppagetimesoccer.com. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  4. Jeff Crandall (April 2, 2014). "#CurtinCall: Fan favorite Jim Curtin to retire as Chicago Fire player this weekend". chicago-fire.com. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  5. "Chicago Fire: 2001 in Review". chicago-fire.com. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  6. "Jim Curtin | MLS Player Statistics". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  7. Jeff Crandall (April 2, 2014). "#CurtinCall: Fan favorite Jim Curtin to retire as Chicago Fire player this weekend". chicago-fire.com. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  8. Ives Galarcep (January 21, 2008). "Fire deals Jim Curtin to Chivas USA". SBI Sports. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  9. "Chivas USA Changes Date of Season Opener, Waives two". insidesocal.com. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  10. "Jim Curtin Philadelphia Union Profile". Philadelphia Union. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  11. "Jim Curtin signed as club's third assistant coach". Philadelphia Union. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  12. Jonathan Tannenwald (June 10, 2014). "Philadelphia Union manager John Hackworth fired". The Inquirer. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  13. "Report: Philadelphia Union remove interim tag from Jim Curtin's title following team's turnaround". MLSsoccer.com. 2014-09-24. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  14. John McMullen (April 23, 2016). "Union continue home dominance, top NYCFC". 973espn.com. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  15. Jacob Born (November 2, 2017). "Jim Curtin looking ahead to 2018". philadelphiaunion.com. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  16. Matthew DeGeorge (November 19, 2018). "Jim Curtin to return to coach 'more dynamic' Union squad". Delco Times. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  17. Tom Bogert (July 10, 2019). "Philadelphia Union, Jim Curtin agree to multi-year contract extension". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  18. "Jim Curtin career sheet". footballdatabase. footballdatabase. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  19. "Fire Award Winners". Chicago Fire. 2014-03-11. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  20. Ashton Leber (January 5, 2018). "Jim Curtin inducted into Villanova's 2017 Hall of Fame Class". Philadelphia Union. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  21. "Philadelphia Union's Jim Curtin named 2020 MLS Sigi Schmid Coach of the Year". Major League Soccer. November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  22. "Philadelphia Union win 2020 MLS Supporters' Shield on regular season's final day". Major League Soccer. November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
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