It has been almost a month since the Philadelphia Union announced the sacking of manager Jim Curtin, and there have not been a lot of names linked to the available job. But there is a name now, as Tom Bogert of The Athletic reported that the front runner for the open spot is German manager, Thomas Letsch. Sporting Director Ersnt Tanner and Letsch have connections from their time at Red Bull Salzburg, making this a name that should not surprise Philadelphia Union supporters.
Who is Thomas Letsch?
Throughout his managerial career, Letsch has been both a youth and first team manager, but much more successful when it comes to the youth ranks. His growth as an overall manager came within the Red Bull ranks when he worked with Salzburg. Letsch progressed through the Salzburg academy, moving from managing the U-16s to the U-18s. At the time where he was growing as a manager within the academy, Ernst Tanner was the academy director for Salzburg.
After earning plenty of applause within the youth setup, Letsch became a manager of first teams around Europe, most notably being Austria Wien, Vitesse, and Bochum in the German Bundesliga. Letsch’s most successful first team managerial stint was with Vitesse, when the German brought them to a top four finish and qualification to the Europa Conference League.
Besides his lone success with Vitesse, it has not been a successful top flight managerial career for Letsch, who was sacked from both Austria Wien and Bochum after poor form.
When it comes to style of play, Thomas Letsch runs his squad exactly how you would expect a former Red Bull coach to do so. His team plays in a high press, setting up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. This way of play is the traditional Red Bull play, differing from how the Union set up in the past with their 4-4-2 Diamond.
Is Thomas Letsch a good fit for the Union?
Since Ernst Tanner came to the Union in 2018 from Red Bull Salzburg, he has tried to instill the Red Bull way into the Union, adding the high press factor into the team. Hiring Thomas Letsch as manager will provide both the sporting director and the manager to have the same direction they want for the Union, which was something that Jim Curtin and Tanner did not have.
If Letsch is hired, there will definitely be questions regarding the longevity and success that the manager has had with other clubs, but having a manager and sporting director on the same page is something that this club has not had in recent times. Truly it would not be known if it is a good fit until he would take over as manager, but compared to what happened in the past, it makes sense that he is a favorite to become the new boss of the club.
Mandatory Credit: Caean Couto-Imagn Images
