Yeah, I don't see the rush in re-signing. Coach doesn't count against cap space. If he somehow makes a deep playoff run and earns a few hundred thousand more, pay him or let him walk.
Not just yet Curtin fans. https://www.philadelphiaunion.com/p...sign-head-coach-jim-curtin-contract-extension
I'm still not sold on Curtin. I think he's still too predictable and fails to get the most out of the rosters he's given. That said, I don't really know who else I'd want at this point.
Few have been the games when I've looked back and thought 'Jim managed that well' ... and as an ex-center back I think he should be able to tighten up our defense more. But at some point, his record has to count. We are on pace for 58 points, which would blow away last year's 50 points record, and should be good enough for a home playoff game. Now watch the Adebayor effect happen and our form take a nosedive, now the contract is in place.
It's a 2 year extension. This is another smart move by Tanner. If Jim continues on his current path this works out well for Philly. If he regresses, the Union aren't on the hook for a large buyout. It's nice way for each party (Jim and the Union) to share the risk. Jim performs, the club keeps extending him and upping his salary. Win/Win for both. Jim doesn't perform, the Union move on and they aren't stuck like Colorado is right now with paying a large buyout on a coach (or two coaches in their case).
I stand by this. I would have wanted to see what they do in the playoffs before deciding. That said, since the Union FO pays the coach off the cap, I don't expect them to make much effort finding someone better. That isn't their thing.
19:17 minute mark interview with JC. Talks about the academy, playing young players, and what the Union need to improve on.
Top of the #MLS Eastern Conference [emoji736] New contract extension [emoji736] @PhilaUnion Head Coach Jim Curtin joins @BrianDunseth & @CharlieDavies9 at 6:25p ET! #CounterAttack l #DOOP Top of the #MLS Eastern Conference ✅New contract extension ✅@PhilaUnion Head Coach Jim Curtin joins @BrianDunseth & @CharlieDavies9 at 6:25p ET!#CounterAttack l #DOOP pic.twitter.com/TPI8SFjLn4— SiriusXM FC (@SiriusXMFC) July 12, 2019
Been a while since this has been discussed and I still haven't made up my mind but do we need a new coach to get to the next level? Jim's improved greatly over the last few years and I suspect he will be a good coach for a long time but does it need to be elsewhere? Still getting burned too often on set piece defending. Can't rely on Blake to keep us in games forever. Let's Santos take PK without prior game PK experience? Don't know who's available (other than the recently fired UII coach). Seems to have Tanner's trust so this is not going to happen but should it?
Jim has improved every year and has a decent team going. If Santos nails that PK or if Kacper was an inch skinnier, they'd have been lining up for PKs and we might be singing his praises. It's pretty clear he's going to be the coach for a while. Also, Jay can't afford better, anyway.
What is all this "if" stuff? If my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle. He's paid to coach this team to win. Did that team look ready at the beginning? No. Did they make adjustments? Eventually with the set-your-watch-by-it Ilsinho move, except he subbed off the wrong striker. The whole team looked gassed by the 65' mark. Some of that maybe could be alleviated by trusting your subs. But there's been something missing on set pieces for a while. I'm tempted to say always, but without data it feels hyperbolic. Now, plot twist, I don't think he should be fired. I know, right? Certainly, you can find other posts by me on the previous 105 pages of this thread arguing for his dismissal. But he's been, IDK, pretty good? A midseason dismissal for the magic of a made-up tournament semifinal run would be head spinning. But yeah, I think Ernst should always be looking for ways to improve the club, which includes head coaches. So if someone was available in the winter that had a pedigree to take us to a cup, I'm in. Def not with another first-time head coach though.
Like probably all of you I am not happy with how much they spend, or rather don't spend. But for what they do spend their performance over the last few years should meet reasonable expectations. That includes the Curtin. I do feel occasionally he can be "out coached" but usually in those cases I imagine (but don't know for a fact) the other coaches are much better compensated and/or the pieces on the board they are working with can have a much more individual impact.
I'm just not convinced that wanting to get to the hypothetical next level is a viable reason for dismissing a clearly talented coach who's respected by his team. There have been a lot of high profile coaches rolling through MLS who you could look at and think, "Wish we had that guy," but a lot of them roll right back out (see, FdB, every NYCFC coach ever, Thierry Henry in a month or so, etc). Then there's guys like Vermes and Pareja who always seem to field solid teams that punch above their weight, and who manage to stick around the league because they know it so well. Jim's definitely close to joining that club if he hasn't already.
It's tough to be a fan of this team. 11 years in and no trophies or even the expectation of one coming anytime soon. The previous years of awful play and ownership so depressed expectations that fans see selling a player to Europe as a bigger deal than winning.
They've been close to winning a trophy four times in the last six years, so it's not really that bad. We're light years from the Nick Sak days. I do think it's worth being excited about selling young players - it's a validation that we're on the right path, and, you know, $$$. The model's been set up for a while that success on the field is dependent on the success of our player development.
Jim Curtin's All Time Record: 211 games 84 Wins 79 Losses 48 Draws 296 Points 1.4 PPG 321 Goals For 300 Goals Against +21 Goal Differential 2020 Supporter's Shield!!! Union All Time: 359 Games Played 128 Wins 139 Losses 92 Draws 473 Points 1.32 PPG 495 Goals For 502 Goals Against -7 Goal Differential
From chants stating "Close the Curtin," social media posts and fan blog posts criticizing his every decision........to MLS Coach of the Year Congrats to Jim Curtin winning @MLS coach of the year. For the 3rd year running, he and the front office have been 1st in “spending efficiency” which means you have to “coach up” players. Well deserved Jim. #DOOP #MLS https://t.co/TjbowCX7JV— Taylor Twellman (@TaylorTwellman) November 17, 2020
He has been here a long time and the team really wasn't that good for most of it. I could be proven wrong but I don't recall too much hate for Curtin, at least in the circles of soccer aficionados I hang with. I don't really buy the "coach up" part. This current lineup isn't built on Okugos playing out of position and players playing beyond their talents. This a good team with good players, and barring injury playing their natural positions at their actual talent level. Anyway he clearly has shown he can win when he has a good team/org around him and that is good enough for me. Congrats big guy!
Went back to the early posts in this thread and this was a good call in 2014 from Tyr. Of course the youth he is finally playing now were just barely teenagers at the time but maybe he knew what he was going to have from coaching the kids all those years ago.