Jim Curtin: Austin's coaching coup and a manager worth backing

Austin FC have endured a miserable 2026. Currently sitting 14th in the Western Conference, they recently fired sporting director Rodolfo Borrell and head coach Nico Estévez following a dismal 3-5-7 start to the season. The club looked to be without direction, adrift in the Western Conference with no clear sense of what they were trying to build. Then, on Monday, they made one of the most important hires in their short history. Jim Curtin is coming to Austin in 2027, and the fans should be absolutely thrilled.

Curtin will end his short hiatus from coaching and join the club after a decade leading Philadelphia Union, where he established himself as one of the most respected and successful coaches in Major League Soccer. That is not hyperbole, and anyone who followed the Eastern Conference closely over the last decade knows it. He is one of just five coaches to win the MLS Sigi Schmid Coach of the Year award multiple times, taking the honor in both 2020 and 2022, joining a list that includes Bob Bradley, Sigi Schmid himself, Bruce Arena, and Frank Yallop.

What made Curtin so exceptional in Philadelphia was not just the winning, but the kind of winning he did and the sustainable foundation he built underneath it. In 2022, he guided the Union to their first MLS Cup final appearance after a record-breaking regular season that included the most wins in club history (19), the most goals scored (72), the fewest goals conceded (26), and a goal differential of +46. Results like that do not happen by accident, and they certainly do not happen without a coach who knows exactly what he wants and how to get it out of his players.

He helped develop current U.S. internationals Brenden Aaronson and Mark McKenzie, and the pair were eventually moved on to European clubs for seven-figure fees. Philadelphia, a club without the financial firepower of LAFC or even lower-spending clubs, punched well above their weight for years precisely because Curtin understood how to identify, develop, and maximize young players before those players moved on and the cycle started all over again. That is a rare and transferable skill, and it is also exactly what Austin, a relatively young club still searching for its identity, so desperately need right now.

Curtin posted a 170W-90L-134D record across all competitions during his 11 seasons in Pennsylvania, a body of work that speaks for itself. His teams qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs seven times, winning the Supporters' Shield once and eventually reaching MLS Cup final. For a club like Philadelphia, one that was not historically among the league's elite when he took the job back in 2014, that kind of consistency over more than a decade is nothing short of remarkable.

The obvious question now is whether Austin can give Curtin what he actually needs to replicate that success in Texas. The roster he is inheriting has genuine pieces to work with, but feels disjointed. Designated Players Brandon Vazquez and Facundo Torres, goalkeeper Brad Stuver, club-record signing Myrto Uzuni, homegrown midfielder Owen Wolff, and Canadian international Jayden Nelson are all in the fold. However, those pieces have yet to be put together in any coherent way.

But the key word in all of this is investment. Curtin built Philadelphia into a genuine contender despite the club being perennial low-spenders, frequently parting ways with key players and replacing them with cheaper options.

Meanwhile, Austin's ownership, led by Anthony Precourt, made clear in their announcement that they are ready to commit to a serious long-term project. Precourt described the vision for the club as "bold, ambitious, and built for the long term," and Curtin echoed that framing enthusiastically when he accepted the job.

“I am incredibly honored to be named head coach of Austin FC," Curtin said in a club statement on Monday. "This is a moment I will never forget, and I’m grateful to Anthony Precourt, Andy Loughnane, and the club’s ownership group for the trust placed in me.

“From our very first conversation, they shared a vision for Austin that is bold, ambitious, and built for the long term. Their belief in what this club can become is contagious, and I’m proud to help bring that vision to life.”

A key part of this hire and the aforementioned long-term plan is that Curtin will play a role in process to name Austin's new sporting director, as reported by The Athletic's Tom Bogert. Curtin's propensity for creating a culture from the ground up will surely inform the club's decision as to who to bring in to oversee the sporting project from the executive suites.

The timing works in Austin's favor as well. Curtin's first season in charge will be the 2027 sprint season, a 14-game transition schedule designed to facilitate MLS's move to a summer-to-spring calendar. That compressed format gives a new coach a relatively forgiving environment in which to install his ideas, take a hard look at the squad, and properly prepare for a full campaign in the back half of 2027 and into 2028. Curtin is experienced and smart enough to use that window wisely, and it may turn out to be a genuine advantage.

There was real competition for his services throughout the league. He was widely regarded as the one of the most coveted available coaches in MLS, with multiple clubs circling him for the better part of a year. The Athletic reported that the Portland Timbers interviewed Curtin, but the Pacific Northwest club are said to be keen on bringing in a permanent coach before the end of the World Cup break.

The fact that Austin won that race, convincing him to choose Q2 Stadium over his other options, strongly suggests that Precourt and president Andy Loughnane made a serious pitch backed by serious resources. Curtin does not strike anyone who has followed his career as a man who chases a paycheck over a project he genuinely believes in.

Austin have had flashes of promise since entering the league in 2021, but they have lacked the sustained excellence and clear identity that separates real contenders from middling MLS clubs with flashy new stadiums. Curtin built exactly that culture in Philadelphia, from scratch, without inherited glory and on a relatively modest budget. With stronger financial backing, a city growing faster than almost anywhere else in North America, and a fanbase itching for a identifiable culture to buy into, it could be the perfect fit.