Jim Curtin kept as Philadelphia Union coach; collaboration with Tanner continues for one year

This past Monday, the Philadelphia Union announced that head coach Jim Curtin will return for the 2019 season. Sporting Director Ernst Tanner said that this will be a one year collaborative effort.

Jim Curtin walks to the bench against in game against Columbus Crew SC.

While this may infuriate many fans, and seems like a continuation of the mediocrity that this team has been associated with, it was the right move made by Ernst Tanner. Curtin has been allowed to continue collaboration for one year. He will be given more flexibility tactically to get the most out of the players, who already trust him. Should Curtin fail to do so then his time with the Union will come to an end in a year or less.

Let’s look at this decision made by Tanner, and how it’s the right choice at the current moment.

Continuing Collaboration:

When Tanner was asked about Jim staying on, he chose the words “continuing collaboration.” This does not mean that Tanner is thrilled with how the end of 2018 went down, and was handled by the Union skipper. Tanner saw that Curtin had the trust of the players, and made it clear that he thinks Jim develops young talent well, but now he wants to see this team win the big games.

This collaboration is one where Tanner will try to give Curtin the players to do better in 2019 than the team did in 2018. The word choice was perfect. He has confidence that the Union under Curtin can do better, and that he wants to give Curtin the chance to do this in 2019. The timing of this deal is also very important to how Tanner wants to see this team, and Curtin improve.

One more year:

Curtin was not signed to a multi-year contract extension. He is going to have to work under the pressure that he has at least a year to show that he is the right man to lead this team under Tanner. Curtin will have to treat every game like it’s his last as Union coach, because well it could be. The short leash from Tanner makes it so that if Curtin and the Union come out and flounder at the start, or first half of the 2019 season, that he could be out of a job.

This urgency will do one of two things. Either the pressure proves to be too much for Curtin, as it has been for him at times in the past four years, and he’s fired; or, Curtin finds resolve under the pressure thanks to better scouting and player personnel, and more tactical flexibility, that he helps the Union over the hump that they’ve been stuck on in their previous nine seasons.

Tactical flexibility:

A major part of the sink or swim nature of this deal is the fact that Jim Curtin will be able to have more tactical flexibility with his players. Over the past seasons of Curtin’s tenure, he was either handcuffed by stupid personnel decisions made by Nick Sakiewicz, or the inability to change tactics in games based on Earnie Stewart’s love affair with a 4-2-3-1 formation. While these hindrances don’t change the coaches substitution habits on game day, it makes things much harder on a coach. Do you go agaisnt your boss, and help a team win in a tight in-game situation by making a sub or change the formation, or do you stick to what your boss wants and take the heat for losing? This was definitely something Curtin had to deal with in his previous years that wont hinder him anymore.

Tanner has said that the team will tinker with the way things are run, and that Curtin will be given the chance to make in-game adjustments needed to win more games. He wont be held back by his sporting director anymore, which takes some unnecessary pressure off him. Curtin will be given the power to change things in matches that will result in wins and losses. Let’s see if he changes his ways, and if it produces more wins.

If results aren’t good, then the Curtin will be closed:

This is the most important thing to take away from Curtin’s one year extension as coach of the Philadelphia Union. If he fails to make necessary adjustments in week-to-week training, and in-game situations that can result in wins, he will be gone sooner rather than later. While keeping Curtin may be one of the final nails in the coffins for some Union fans, Tanner wants to give him a chance to show that he can be the one to lead the Union over the hump.

Tanner see’s Curtin as a formidable coach. He thinks Curtin could be able to lead this team for the foreseeable future. The collaboration with Tanner, the one year make-or-break season and tactical flexibility presents a large enough sample size for Tanner to actually make a longterm decisions with the Philadelphia Union’s coaching situation. Let’s see what Curtin does with this most gracious opportunity.