Jim Curtin and the Philadelphia Union have agreed to a new deal for the head coach to return to the club, sources have told MLSsoccer.com.
Curtin’s previous contract was set to expire at the end of 2018. The terms of the new contract aren't yet known by MLSsoccer.com.
The 39-year-old former MLS defender and the Union largely outperformed expectations this season, finishing sixth in the Eastern Conference with 50 points, the best total in club history.
It was a strong enough campaign to place Curtin fourth in MLS Coach of the Year voting, but the arrival of new sporting director Ernst Tanner in the fall and losses in the Knockout Round of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs at third-seed New York City FC in October and at the Houston Dynamo in the U.S. Open Cup final in September raised some questions over Curtin's 2019 status. The sources said that Tanner was impressed with his work, however, leading the German executive and the Union to move to re-sign him.
A Philadelphia-area native, Curtin joined the Union organization as an academy coach in 2010. He became a first-team assistant in 2013, then took over the club on an interim basis after former head coach John Hackworth was fired midway through the 2014 season. He was named full-time head coach following the 2014 season and has a 54-64-36 regular season record in his four-plus seasons in charge.
Curtin will continue reporting to Tanner, who was hired after former sporting director Earnie Stewart left Philadelphia to become GM of the US men’s national team this summer. The Union will hold a press conference with Curtin and Tanner at 12 p.m. ET on Monday.
