Philadelphia Union interim manager Jim Curtin hears the rumors.
He knows that Union CEO Nick Sakiewicz is still looking at managerial candidates – a short list that, according to recent reports, includes former Fulham head coach Rene Meulensteen.
But Curtin also knows he can’t afford to think about his status, not when the Union are heading into a crucial week with a nationally televised game against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday (3 pm ET, NBC Sports, stream on NBCSports.com) followed by the US Open Cup final against the Seattle Sounders next Tuesday night.
“The only thing you can control is on the field,” Curtin said during his weekly press conference Thursday. “I’ve preached in the locker room that we do our talking on the field. So for me to sit up here and get into the whole coaching thing would be contradictory to what I’m preaching to my players.”
In a statement this week, Sakiewicz said the coaching search has been “suspended for several weeks,” meaning he may wait until the end of the season to make his decision. In an interview with MLSsoccer.com two weeks ago, Sakiewicz said that he was “very proud” of the job Curtin has done since taking over for former manager John Hackworth in early June but that former Montral Impact head coach Jesse Marsch and ex-US national-team players Tony Meola and John Harkes were also candidates for the job.
The fact that Curtin has yet to be hired for the permanent managerial position may be surprising to some, considering he’s posted a 9-2-4 record in all competitions to get the Union into the playoff hunt and the US Open Cup final.
But during Thursday’s press conference, Curtin repeated a couple of times that he’s not going to be a “self-promoter” and boast about his own credentials.
“It’s not about me,” he said. “It doesn’t have anything to do with me. I’m just going to keep trying to win games. … I’d be a hypocrite if I started doing the self-promoting thing. I’m getting a lot of information from people that I should be doing more of it, but I’m not going to do it. I’m not going to walk into the locker room and tell our guys do their talking on the field and then sit up here when I have a microphone and say that I’m the best. It’s not going to happen.”
Curtin added that the communication lines with Sakiewicz have been open over the past three months and that their “relationship has grown greatly” since he took over as interim manager. He also reiterated that it’s “reassuring” that Sakiewicz has pledged a long-term commitment to the current technical staff, even if he brings in a new manager.
In the meantime, Curtin won’t be bothered by the coaching rumors that will surely continue to swirl until Sakiewicz makes his final decision.
“I’m not going to talk negatively about anyone else,” Curtin said. “I’m just going to do my job.”
Dave Zeitlin covers the Union for MLSsoccer.com. Email him at djzeitlin@gmail.com.
