Philadelphia Union hires Jim Curtin as head coach after succesful trial
At long last, the Philadelphia Union have shed the "interim" tag from Jim Curtin's title.
The Union named Curtin their permanent head coach Friday, giving the full-time reins to a local product who guided the club to an 11-6-6 record in all competitions after taking over for John Hackworth in June. The announcement comes after sources told Goal USA in September that the move had been finalized.
Curtin, 35, played for the Chicago Fire for eight seasons before ending his playing career with Chivas USA in 2009. He joined the Union as an assistant coach in November 2012.
"For the fans that will question a 35-year-old, a young coach, that's natural," Curtin said during a news conference. "I ask you to give me a full offseason and see what we come up with it. I can promise you we're going to work 24/7 to bring in great players and improve the roster that's already very strong."
Curtin led the Union to the U.S. Open Cup final, in which they fell to the Seattle Sounders, and saw his team miss the playoffs by seven points. Looking for better results in his first full campaign, Curtin has already outlined a prosaic blueprint for a club that has made the playoffs once in five seasons.
"We have to build from the back," Curtin said. "We're going to get bigger, stronger and faster. These are ideas. I'm not going to sit here and lay claim to a style. Salt Lake has a style, Kansas City has a style, LA has a style and Seattle has a style right now in our league — and we're not there yet.
"We have to beat those teams and find a way to do it. We'll build with a good defense, we'll counterattack and we'll add some speed that opens up the field."
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