Owner Jay Sugarman Speaks On Union Decision To Fire Jim Curtin

The Philadelphia Union fired long-time head coach Jim Curtin on Friday after a disappointing 2024 season left them searching for answers. Principal Owner Jay Sugarman and Sporting Director Ernst Tanner met with the media at Subaru Park on Monday to discuss the Union’s future and the unique player developmental strategy that’s become a major focus of the organization.  Jim Curtin The decision to fire the head coach means the end of an era on the Chester Waterfront. Curtin spent the past 11 seasons as the head coach of the Union. He won the Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year Award in 2020 and 2022. The local product led the Union to their only MLS Cup appearance in 2022 during one of the most memorable months in Philadelphia sports history. He made major efforts to promote the growth of the sport in the local community. “Jim has been a great coach for us. He’s proven (that) he’s one of the best coaches in the league. I’ve taken a lot of pride in watching him grow from a youth coach, a first-time youth coach into a two-time MLS Coach of the Year. I’m even more proud of the way he represented us in the league and in this city.” -Jay Sugarman Injuries, tight cap space, and some rough breaks sunk the Union in 2024. They finished tied for 11th in the Eastern Conference with 37 points. An Unconventional Strategy Jay Sugarman and Ernst Tanner spoke at length Monday about unwavering confidence in their internal player development despite an underwhelming finish last season. https://vimeo.com/1028562666?share=copy#t=0 “When Ernst came to us and said (for) this strategy to really work requires us to put everything in one place: our first team, our second team, our academy, our staff, our school. That’s a $75 million expense, and we said ‘If that’s what it takes, then we’re going to do that.’ That’s what we’re building outside.” -Sugarman “That balance between youth development, player development, and winning is a tough balance. It’s not easy. No coach will tell you it’s easy, but this is what we have laid out over the last six years as our strength, what we can do uniquely well.” -Sugarman However, the owner pointed out that the strategy is a vehicle to his ultimate intentions of becoming a winning organization. “As an owner, I don’t go home and go, ‘Wow, we had a great development day.' I go home and say, ‘We’re a great team. We’re a great club. We have a winning strategy. We’re going to be a top team in this league.' That’s what I set out to do six years ago. We’re using development as our unique strategy to do that… We are only successful if we win, and if we can win by developing players, we’re pretty special. That’s what we’ve put our bet on, and we need to deliver on that.” -Jay Sugarman Sugarman and Tanner didn't discuss immediate plans for the rest of the coaching staff or any potential replacement options. They plan to conduct the offseason interview process by following MLS protocol after moving on from Jim Curtin.