Jim Curtin and the Union have a deal on a new contract through 2026

The Union and manager Jim Curtin have a deal on a new contract that will keep him in Philadelphia through the 2026 season, he all but confirmed after Sunday’s 2-0 loss at Atlanta United.

On Saturday night, Curtin posted a hint on Instagram that a long-awaited new deal was done. The Athletic then reported the length Sunday morning, and a few hours later Curtin spoke on the subject.

“The announcement is not official, but I think you can read between the lines on some things that it’s in a good spot,” he said. “I’m very happy. I want to continue here in Philadelphia, and that’s the hope.”

Curtin won MLS Coach of the Year in 2020 and 2022, leading the Union to their first trophy in the first of those years and their first MLS championship game appearance in the second.

He has also overseen runs to U.S. Open Cup finals in 2014, 2015, and 2018. And his team has reached the semifinals of the Concacaf Champions League, this continent’s highest-level soccer tournament, in 2021 and this year — the only times the Union have been in it.

» READ MORE: Jim Curtin embraces unprecedented expectations on the Union, and on himself

The 44-year-old Oreland native rose from Bishop McDevitt High to Villanova to a nine-year MLS playing career for the Chicago Fire and the former Chivas USA. After hanging up his cleats, he started coaching Union-run youth teams, all the way down to little kids.

Curtin made his way up the team’s coaching ranks, eventually becoming an assistant to John Hackworth in 2013. When Hackworth was fired the next year, Curtin succeeded him, first on an interim basis then full-time. He’s had the job ever since. His last contract extension, signed in 2021 for the ‘22 and ‘23 seasons, was only his second multi-year deal as manager.

Curtin is now the second-longest-tenured manager in MLS, behind Delran-born Peter Vermes of Sporting Kansas City. He has a 147-113-75 record in 335 career games across all competitions, and has helped build the Union into one of America’s most-respected soccer teams even though it often has one of MLS’s smallest budgets.

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Naturally, this has earned Curtin interest from other suitors, just like the players he has developed and sent on to fame elsewhere: Brenden and Paxten Aaronson, Mark McKenzie, Auston Trusty, and many more. This year’s squad has seen Jack McGlynn and Julián Carranza draw serious interest from clubs in top European leagues.

Though Curtin has had occasional interest from abroad, his chief suitors have been domestic. The Fire, which spend a lot more money on stars but have won far fewer games, reportedly were planning a big move at Curtin after this year. There was also a serious possibility that if Curtin’s close friend Jesse Marsch had gotten the U.S. men’s national team job, Curtin would have left the Union to be one of his assistants.

Once U.S. Soccer chose to bring back Gregg Berhalter instead, that cleared the way for the Union to finish talks that had gone on for many months.

“I think I’ve been clear on wanting to be here in Philadelphia,” Curtin said Sunday. “There’s always some outside noise and different opportunities that have come up, but Philly is the place that I want to be. It’s the home of my club that I’ve been a part of now, and I’ve had incredible players and staff through the years.”

» READ MORE: Union principal owner Jay Sugarman said in April that Jim Curtin's contract status would be settled soon

The length of Curtin’s new deal is notable. Not only is three years the longest contract he has ever gotten from the Union, but also it goes through the World Cup that he and Marsch could have taken the U.S. men to — a tournament that will be played in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, including in Philadelphia.

Tanner’s contract is now the one on the clock, expiring at the end of this year. Curtin is close with the architect of the Union’s playing style and transfer strategy, which has netted the team nearly $30 million in transfer fee revenue over the last three years.

Presumably, both men would have liked some assurances from Sugarman and his fellow owners about each other’s futures. And perhaps they would have liked the top suite to put some more money in the bank so the Union can keep signing the top talent needed to pursue trophies.

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