Curtin rewarded with a contract extension
Jim Curtin is going to be around for a while as manager of the Union.
The MLS team announced on Wednesday that it has signed Curtin to a multi-year contract extension. No terms were announced, but it reported to be a two-year extension.
“Since I have arrived at Philadelphia, I have observed first-hand Jim’s ability to lead our team, and I am pleased to continue our relationship with this prolongation of his contract,” Union Sporting Director Ernst Tanner said in a statement released by the club. “A top young coach in our league, I am confident he is the right person to continue toward achieving our club’s objectives, which include both winning trophies and being the MLS leader in the development of young players.”
The Bishop McDevitt and Villanova product is the club’s all-time leader in wins (64) and has guided the Union to its best start in club history (10-5-6, 36 points). The Union is in first place in the East and has the second-highest point total in MLS.
Curtin got into coaching after his MLS career came to an end. He joined the Union in June, 2010 as a coach in the academy system. He was named as an assistant with the big club in November, 2012.
Curtin was promoted to interim head coach when John Hackworth was fired in June, 2014. The interim tag was removed later that year after he guided the Union to the U.S. Open Cup final.
“Jim is a fantastic leader, thoughtful, intelligent, and open-minded,” Tanner said. “This extension is thoroughly deserved.”
In other Union news, Academy products Matt Freese and Brenden have been selected to play in the 2019 MLS Homegrown Game, which will be played July 30 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla.
It’s the third straight year the Union has had multiple players selected to play in the game. Anthony Fontana, Mark McKenzie, Matt REal and Auston Trusty received the honor last year, and Trusty and Derrick Jones the year before that.
Freese, a 20-year-old goalie from Episcopal Academy where he was the
2016 Daily Times Player of the Year, has played in five games with six starts. He sports a 1.44 goals against average and received his first career start in a 3-1 victory over Orlando City on July 3.
Aaronson, an 18-yearold midfielder from Medford, N.J. has appeared in
18 matches with 16 starts, and has one goal and one assist.
The MLS Homegrown team will take on Chivas de Guadalajara’s Under-20 squad. Kickoff is 5 p.m.