Jim Curtin (born June 23, 1979) is an American professional soccer coach and former player who is the current head coach of the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer. He spent most of his playing career with the Chicago Fire.

Youth and college

Curtin grew up in

Oreland, Pennsylvania Oreland is a United States census-designated place (CDP) in Springfield and Upper Dublin townships, just outside the Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy areas of Philadelphia. Oreland has a ZIP code of 19075, and the population was 5,678 at the 201 ...

and played high school soccer at Bishop McDevitt. He excelled in

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United K ...

Villanova University Villanova University is a private Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Augustinians in 1842 and named after Saint Thomas of Villanova. The university is the oldest Catholic university in Penns ...

, being named the Big East Rookie of the Year his freshman year, and taking home first-team All-

Big East The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...

selections his junior and senior seasons.

Club career

Chicago Fire

Following graduation, Curtin became the first Wildcat to be drafted by the MLS when he was selected by the Chicago Fire. 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 The 2001 Major League Soccer SuperDraft was held on February 5, 2001, at the Signature Grand in Davie, Florida. Player selection Any player whose name is marked with an * was contracted under the Project-40 Generation Adidas is a joint ventur ...

. Curtin made his professional debut against D.C. United at

Soldier Field Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) since ...

during the second week of the

2001 MLS season The 2001 Major League Soccer season was shortened due to the September 11 attacks, with the final weeks' regular season matches canceled. The playoffs, however, were played, and the San Jose Earthquakes won their first MLS Cup. Standings ...

. 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 The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...

. In the same season, the Fire sent Curtin on loan to the

Milwaukee Rampage The Milwaukee Rampage are a former defunct professional American soccer team, that was located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which played in the A-League. History Founded in 1993 by Milwaukee area businessmen Dan Doucette and Jim Hock, the Rampage p ...

in three early-season games and for the

USL A-League The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

playoffs. His rookie year saw 12 starts and registering 1,194 minutes. 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 Carlos Manuel Bocanegra (born May 25, 1979) is an American sports executive and former professional soccer player. A two-time MLS Defender of the Year, Bocanegra also played professionally in England, Scotland, France, and Spain. He earned over ...

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

Chivas USA

On February 7, 2008, one day after his daughter Ryan was born he was traded to

Chivas USA Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club played from 2005 to 2014 in Major League Soccer (MLS) and was a subsidiary of Mexican club C.D. G ...

for a conditional pick in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. After two seasons in southern California, Curtin was waived by

on January 26, 2010.

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. In November 2012, Curtin was named assistant coach for his hometown Philadelphia Union, under John Hackworth and alongside Brendan Burke and Rob Vartughian. During the 2014 season, Hackworth was fired after a run of poor results with Curtin being named interim coach during the team's search for a permanent replacement. 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 Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...

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 A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

; removing the "interim" title he had held previously. 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 Nicolaus "Nick" Sakiewicz ( ; born January 14, 1961) is currently Chief Business Officer of the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League. From January 7, 2016 until February 23, 2022, he was the commissioner of the National Lacrosse League ...

as CEO and appoint

Earnie Stewart Earnest Lee Stewart Jr. (born March 28, 1969) is an American former soccer player who played as a striker or a midfielder. His career spanned 17 years from 1988 until his retirement in 2005, with the majority of them spent in the Netherlands, th ...

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 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

for the first time since the 2011 season. During this season, with a win over rivals

New York City FC New York City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in New York City that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), the highest level of American soccer, as a member of the league's Eastern Conference. The club is co-owned b ...

on April 23, 2016, Curtin set a record five consecutive home wins as well as becoming the highest wins coach in Union history. The Union were unable to build on their 2016 success, finishing with the same record but still missing the playoffs in

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

. Curtin was announced to retain his head coach position for the 2018 season. 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. 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. The 2020 season was the most successful to date for the Union and Curtin's coaching career. Despite disruptions from the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, the Union reached the semi-final of the

MLS is Back Tournament The MLS is Back Tournament took place during the 2020 Major League Soccer season to mark the league's return to action after being suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the 26 Major League Soccer teams, 24 participated in the tourna ...

and went on to won their first trophy finishing top of the league standings and earning the 2020 Supporters' Shield. The team's performance over the season earned Curtin his first Sigi Schmid Coach of the Year Award. Winning the Supporter's Shield earned the Union their debut in the CONCACAF Champions League, where the Union earned their first international win against

Deportivo Saprissa Deportivo Saprissa is a Costa Rican sports club, mostly known for its football team. The club is based in San Juan de Tibás, San José, and play their home games at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá. The team's signature colours are purple ...

; a victory that marked Curtin's 100th win as head coach of the club.

Coaching statistics

Honors

Club

Chicago Fire * Supporters' Shield (1): 2003 * U.S. Open Cup (2): 2003, 2006

Individual

* Big East Rookie of the Year (1): 1997 * All-Big East Selection (2): 1999, 2000 * Philadelphia Soccer Seven Player of the Year (1): 2000 * MLS All-Star (1): 2004 * Chicago Fire Defender of the Year (1): 2004 *

Hall of Fame: Class of 2017 *

MLS Coach of the Year The Sigi Schmid Coach of the Year Award is given by Major League Soccer to the best coach in any given season. The award has been given since the league's inception in 1996 and is determined by a vote from players, club personnel, and members of th ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

Coaching

Philadelphia Union * U.S. Open Cup Runner-up (3):

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, 2015,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

* Supporters' Shield (1):

References

External links

MLS player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curtin, Jim 1979 births Living people American soccer players Association football defenders Chicago Fire FC draft picks Chicago Fire FC players Chivas USA players Major League Soccer players Major League Soccer All-Stars Milwaukee Rampage players People from Springfield Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Philadelphia Union coaches Philadelphia Union non-playing staff Soccer players from Pennsylvania A-League (1995–2004) players Villanova Wildcats men's soccer players American soccer coaches