Curtin hoping his ‘horses’ can finally win race
CHESTER » In the four-plus seasons that Dave Sarachan coached Jim Curtin in Chicago, he can’t recall a conversation with the center back about the latter’s coaching future. But Sarachan, then a veteran of the college and pro ranks and now the U.S. national team’s interim coach, saw certain traits.
“Jimmy was, first of all, a terrific team guy,” Sarachan told media Wednesday at Talen Energy Stadium, introducing the U.S.’s friendly there with Bolivia on Memorial Day. “When he showed up to train every day, he was committed, great pro. When I had him, I would call him more of a quiet guy, and he didn’t exude a whole lot of rah-rah stuff. He just went about his business. When you had real soccer conversations with him, you got a real sense that he was a thinker, really thought through the game, just didn’t show up and go through the motions.
“Guys like that don’t surprise me. I don’t recall that when I had him in Chicago he said to me, ‘Dave, I really want to coach someday.’ But when he took the position and started getting really into the coaching part, it didn’t surprise me that he would be a real players’ coach, they’d enjoy playing for Jimmy. He does things in a real professional manner, and it’s great to see him in that role.”
That temperament is being severely tested these days, as it will again Saturday when D.C. United visits the Philadelphia Union in a battle of teams lying ninth and 10th in the Eastern Conference.
Curtin bristled at the notion that it’s a must-win for the Union (1-3-2, 5 points), despite a five-game winless streak and three road contests with Eastern foes looming. He also has resisted the siren call for change, insisting that an attack that has produced the second-most shots per game in MLS can’t continue to be one of the league’s most wasteful and least productive offenses, with just three goals through six matches and only one in 11-v-11 play.
“I still think that there’s some quality performances in there,” Curtin said. “And now the group deserves, whether it’s an ugly win, whether it’s a beautiful win, whether there’s a lot of goals scored, whether there’s just one goal scored, it has to be a win.”
Rather than sweeping changes, which Curtin has rarely enacted, the emphasis is, “about doing the simple things perfect. That’s the one thing we can control.” Curtin also controls his squad, which is unlikely to see more than minor tweaks.
That means the struggling CJ Sapong and barren David Accam will get out there again, as will Borek Dockal. Accam hasn’t scored a goal or an assist in six starts with the Union; the streak is 13 games, including the postseason, without a goal dating to his Chicago Fire days. Sapong is hitting the target at a career-low rate through six games, a far cry from his career season of 16 goals in 2017. Would either benefit from a chance to sit and watch?
“I think it has to be done on the field,” Curtin said. “I’ve never met a player that, you can get maybe a bit of a jolt from being on the bench, but you don’t improve from being on the bench. If they weren’t getting any chances or they weren’t involved in our attacks, I think it’s a different discussion. But those are two guys that are going to be on the field this weekend against D.C., that’s for sure.”
Jack Elliott (groin) could return. He trained fully before last Saturday’s 2-0 loss to FC Dallas, but Curtin held him back as the defender’s fitness was lacking. It was the first time in 35 matches that Elliott missed a start. Fabinho (knee) is also training fully, but Curtin deemed it a stretch that the Brazilian would regain sufficient fitness for Saturday.
With the exception of the possible introduction of Ilsinho, that leaves Curtin to exhort better performances from the same bunch that has disappointed all season, part of that coaching traits Sarachan praised his protege for, as someone who “just understands the business.”
“You work without a net in this business,” Sarachan said. “Every coach eventually gets fired; that’s the way it works. There’s no secrets out there. And it’s about winning. But it does help … You need the horses, man. And I hope that all these markets, Philly included, with the ownership group and the vision they have that they’re able to build the best roster they can. Then, if you fail, you fail.”
So how full is Curtin’s stable? Full enough to keep drawing on it week after dispiriting week.
“I do. I know we have the horses,” he said. “I know we have the players in our locker room. They give me everything. They work their tails off in training. They believe in what we’re doing.”
That, then, might leave only one unfortunate conclusion for the coach as he approaches the fourth anniversary of his hiring in June.