As Major League Soccer's youngest coach, the Philadelphia Union's Jim Curtin has many years ahead of him to implement his vision on both the Union and the world of American soccer. Safe to say, he has big plans.
Curtin outlined some of those plans when he sat down for an extensive interview with Philly.com's Jonathan Tannenwald to discuss his recent completion of US Soccer's first-ever Pro License coaching program. In a wide-ranging discussion, the 37-year-old Curtin discussed everything from the specifics of the course to dealing with the pressure of coaching professionally to club culture, both generally and specifically with regards to the Union. It's the latter point that may catch the eye of both Union supporters and fans across the league.
"I want us to be a team that when people think of the Philadelphia Union, something pops into their head," Curtin said. "…I want us to be known as a club that develops players for the United States national team. That sounds obvious, but I think we are a unique team in that regard.
"I think others have their eyes set on bringing in the DPs and the elite players. I want players to come through the Philadelphia Union and play for the United States national team. Because at the end of the day, this country and this game will only grow if our national team is great. Not good, great."
It's an ambitious goal for Curtin and Philadelphia, but one towards which they have already made their first steps. As evidence, he specifically cited the USMNT January camp call-ups for 2016 Rookie of the Year finalist Keegan Rosenberry and 2016 Comeback Player of the Year Chris Pontius, as well as established national-teamer Alejandro Bedoya.
At the youth levels, the Union have seen Derrick Jones and Auston Trusty called in to recent Under-20 national team camps, for which Curtin gave credit to Union sporting director Earnie Stewart and the team's coaching staff.
For more detail on Curtin's experience in the Pro License course – which included nine head coaches who worked in MLS this season, as well as current and former youth national team coaches – be sure to check out the Philly.com article linked above.
