Jim Curtin will be taking over the Union on a permanent basis.
Credit: Getty Images
The Philadelphia Union have made it official, removing the interim label from Jim Curtin’s nameplate.
A league source tells Metro that Curtin, named interim head coach in early June, will be named the head coach sometime this week.
Curtin has done a masterful job since he replaced the fired John Hackworth, taking the Union from near the bottom of the Eastern Conference into playoff position. Last Tuesday, he guided the club to the final of the U.S. Open Cup where they lost to the Seattle Sounders, 3-1, in overtime.
He has worked well with the squad in his first head coaching stint at any level, simplifying things for the Union and maximizing the ability of veterans such as Sebastien LeToux, Conor Casey, Vincent Nogueira and Cristian Maidana. He’s also shown adaptability and flexibility, something that must impress former MLS Executive of the Year Nick Sakiewicz, the CEO of the Union.
A longtime MLS veteran, the 35-year-old former central defender has strong ties to the area as Curtin grew up in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia and played four years of college soccer at Villanova.
Follow MLS writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.
