News: MLS Coaching and Front Office - News & Discussion Thread 2024

Will be interesting to see where Curtin goes next. He was incredible with a mid-spend roster.

Will he be better or worse off if he goes to a big spending team like Atlanta?

 

Philly weren’t even a mid spending team, though. 28/29 in wages based on the most recent numbers. Very little spent on transfer fees. Curtin w/ their budget, facilities, & a FO team headed by Lagerway & Henderson could be extremely effective. No guarantees, but those guys have done a lot of winning in this league.

 

I have a lot of belief that Atlanta will be back to perennial contenders soon, if they can find the coach that aligns with the owner and FO ambitions.

 

I think Curtin would be ideal for team that's patient enough to give him 3 or 4 seasons to start producing results. I don't think he's the guy for an Atlanta, Toronto or Miami that need results now.

I think Curtin was in his sixth season before the Union got beyond R1 of the playoffs.

 

There really shouldn't be an MLS team willing to wait 3-4 years for results and Atlanta certainly won't be, especially with 4 or 5 DP/U22 slots open this window. That said, I don't think Curtin is gonna need that long to turn things around. IMO, he's progressed a lot as a coach in the last 5 years. I do wonder if his game model fits what Atlanta would like to do.

 

I think Curtin's two best fits are on either end of the Missouri River.

St. Louis would be a good fit that has a current opening. I think Curtin would be a good fit with the front office at City, and I think the focus on younger players would suit him well.

I think the wild card could be SKC if Vermes could step aside from his coaching duties in a graceful manenr. Until the last few years, SKC was very good about using its academy. Vermes has always had that as his passion project. If he could go into some type of semi-retirement position, I think Curtin would be a good fit there as well. I grant this is kind of an out of left field type of potential move, but I could see Vermes going for this.

I could see him going to Atlanta, but I'm not quite sure if Curtin's focus on playing youth would work there. Of course, I readily admit that may have been (and probably was) a direct function of those to who he reported. Maybe he'd be great with the resources of Atlanta backing him.

I could also see a few other teams move on from their current coaches if they could entice Curtin to join them. I'd bet a lot that Austin is kicking themselves that they didn't wait an extra week or so.

 

The Union didn't have an actual sporting department prior to Earnie Stewart being hired. It was basically Nick S running the whole show.

It should be noted that Earnie Stewart didn't hire Curtin, and neither did Tanner. Ownership told Stewart and Tanner they had to keep Curtin at least for a season when they started. This will be the first time an actual "football person" will be making the coaching hire for Philly.

I agree with you that he wouldn't be a good fit in Atlanta. Especially not after he called out their fanbase and the atmosphere at Atlanta.

Philly has some of the best facilities in the league. It's one area that ownership has spent money on.

This could be a fit. Vermes is from the Philly area and knows Curtin.

IMO, Curtin shouldn't take the first or second job offered to him. He's getting paid the next two years. He should work for MLS Season Pass as a pundit on MLS 360, work for the Golazo Network, and Sirius XM FC. This would allow him to stay connected to the league, talk to other people around the league, and also keep his face and voice out there. He'd also have time to reflect, learn and grow before jumping into his next coaching position. Plus time to spend with his family as his kids are in school in the Philly area.

 

Vermes has never done anything in a graceful manner.
I imagine he screamed his wedding vows, with the veins popping out of his head.

I really want Curtin coaching the Chicago Fire, but we could not wait until the end of the season and just HAD to sign Berhalter before knowing who else would become available.

 

I doubled over with laughter on this post! Good one, xtomx!!

 

I get that Berhalter is a polarizing figure, but in no way on earth would Curtin be a preferred choice over Berhalter in MLS.

 

There's a lot of talk about how Curtin has never been given the resources to really push for trophies. A good amount of the folks saying this are also saying that supporting Curtin with better players will be the winning ticket. The same was said of Jason Kreis when he went to NYCFC. This isn't just a MLS thing either. There's a difference in managing the perennial underdog/overachiever and managing the big ticket team of stars. Higher priced and paid players have bigger egos to manage.

We saw this when Graham Potter moved from Brighton to Chelsea. It's a different skill set, and not every manager has it. Plus if all it took to win in MLS was spending more money.... Chicago and Toronto would be perennial contenders for silverware and not spoons.

 

Curtin is a former long time Chicago Fire player.
Curtin is still popular with Chicago fans.
Curtin was a longer time MLS coach.
Curtin was MLS Coach of the year twice
Curtin's team won the Supporters Shield

None of which can be said about the shell-less turtle that is Gregg Berhalter.

 

Berhalter could hire Curtin.

 

How many World Cups has Curtin been involved?

 

Who cares?
Contrary to that idiot reporter when the Fire signed Bastian, the Fire are NOT likely to Win a World Cup anytime soon!

(Yes, the Fire are not likely win anything in MLS anytime soon either, of course).

 

I suggested that in the Fire Forum. I would be okay with that.

 

You never know with Infantino.

Apparently Inter Miami are MLS Champions.

 

Nope.

 

For a start, how did Miami fare against the likes of Seattle, LAFC and Portland this season?

That's one reason it's different to a "real" League.

And are the Belgian Pro, Liga MX and the Australian A-League not real leagues? And for that matter NFL, NBA, NRL, Super League rugby, Premiership Rugby All-Ireland Hurling and many many other sports leagues with playoffs?

 

You mean association football.

I don't see why association football can't adopt the same successful format as other sports especially on a contintent where every other sport uses playoffs and soccer leagues have been using playoffs to determine champions for decades. Mexico introduced playoffs in 1970.

 

I can see more second tier leagues following Belgium's example, as unpopular as it is, otherwise the gap between rich and poor is just going to get bigger.

But generally don't mess with success. Round robin with the winningest team as champions works in the top leagues in Europe, playoffs work in North America.