Early in Jim Curtin’s tenure, the Philadelphia Union head coach asked academy director Tommy Wilson to join him on the bench for a U.S. Open Cup final because his coaching staff was so small.
Years later, Curtin likes to point to that story as one example of where the Union were before sporting director Earnie Stewart’s arrival and how far they’ve come since in growing the club’s infrastructure.
For him, it’s those changes, some of which aren’t always seen from the outside, that should be Stewart’s defining legacy as he prepares to leave his job in Philadelphia to take over as general manager of the US men’s national team.
“You look at the staff now and the resources we have now, it’s because of Earnie,” Curtin said during his weekly press conference Thursday. “He added so much to our club. With staff, with the analytics, with the process of scouting, with video – all of these things made us stronger and a more complete club.”
Stewart’s commitment to the youth academy, a vision he shared with Curtin, is also part of the foundation he laid – and one that is beginning to bear fruit. In Tuesday’s U.S. Open Cup win, all five of the team’s recent Homegrown signings – Auston Trusty, Mark McKenzie, Anthony Fontana, Derrick Jones and Matthew Real got into the game with Curtin dubbing them “The Philly Five.”
Some of those players, perhaps, will now even get more US national team looks because of Stewart’s new role, which Curtin called “the ultimate goal.”
“I think he saw the resources we have to work with, and that this approach was the best approach for our club at the time,” Curtin said of building from the bottom up and bolstering the youth academy. “And it continues to show it is the best approach for our club. When people look back five, 10 years from now, and I’m long gone, and he’s gone, we can look back and say, ‘There it is.’ It might not be immediate. We might not win MLS Cup this year. But I think he chose the right way. I hope we stick with it. I think we will.”
There is, of course, some uncertainty now with Stewart leaving and owner Jay Sugarman planning to hire a new sporting director in the coming months. No one, perhaps, will feel that more than Curtin, whom Stewart was fiercely loyal to since he arrived in Philly ahead of the 2016 season, consistently batting away speculation that the head coach might be on the hot seat after rough stretches.
“I can’t say enough about what he’s done for me and my career in terms of the knowledge and information he shared,” the Union coach said. “He made me a much better coach. I think I’ve grown under him and I think the club, most importantly, has really moved forward.”
Curtin certainly doesn’t feel burned that Stewart left Philly after only two-and-a-half years, pointing out that Stewart shared with him very early on that his ultimate goal was to work for U.S. Soccer. If anything, he’s excited to see Stewart implement the same kind of culture, style, and identity that he did with the Union at a national level.
“The guy genuinely wanted the United States to win a World Cup,” Curtin said. “That sounds difficult to people but that’s what he believes, that’s what he’s about. And he’s a winner. He’ll go on and do great things for the United States.”
And even with Stewart taking a new job in a new city, Curtin still plans to remain very close with him.
“I’ll have a relationship with him for life because I trust him and he trusts me,” he said. “I’m incredibly grateful. I’m getting emotional. I’m very thankful for everything he’s done and for the Philadelphia Union. This badge means a lot to me. You see the work everyone does behind the scenes and the culture of our club, and we’ve taken incredible strides.
“The changes he’s made are going to last forever.”
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