Philadelphia Union: New Jim Curtin deal makes sense… to a point

Jim Curtin has been handed a new, one-year deal to remain as the Philadelphia Union head coach through 2019. The deal makes sense… up to a point.

At some point, sport is about winning. We can talk until the cows come home about tactics, player development, squad management, skill sets, passes, defending techniques. But, at the end of it all, it is who wins that matters the most.

All of these elements carry a certain level of importance. It is the process that determines the result, eventually. But there is only so far that a team or manager or player can be praised for their process. The result must follow.

For the Philadelphia Union and Jim Curtin in 2018, they displayed a burgeoning process. The youth movement, as it has nationally come to be known as, has put Philadelphia on the map. This is a team that is going places.

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And the Union want to carry it on for another year. This week, they announced that Curtin had agreed to a new one-year deal that sees remain as head coach through the 2019 season. It is a deal that most expected after a promising season that displayed great hope for the future.

Indeed, it is the work that Curtin has put into place with the young players in Philadelphia that has earned him this new contract. Speaking when the announcement was made this week, Union sporting director Ernst Tanner stated:

"“His relations to the players, from all I have seen now, is very, very good. He’s an expert in developing young players, which will be a clear focus in the future.”"

It is this development of young players that the Union are believing and investing in.

And that makes complete and utter sense. A playoff appearance, a U.S. Open Cup final appearance, a flourishing regular season campaign that improved as it progressed. This was a very positive process that Curtin should be praised for managing.

But as is the case with all sports, there comes a point where the process must yield results. The Houston Dynamo dismantled the young Philadelphia team in the Open Cup final. New York City FC did the same in the knockout round of the playoffs, exploiting Curtin’s — and his player’s — naivety in the biggest moments.

For the Curtin and Philadelphia marriage to be a happy one, these positive, encouraging processes must begin to turn into results. The development of players is a part of that, and it is something that Curtin has proven himself to be extremely adept at.

But at some point, he needs to win a trophy. And until he does, there is only so much sense that a new deal makes.