Jim Curtin - Union Media Fantasy Camp Philadelphia Union
love the coaching sta , they smile, they come in
head coach Jim
every day, but 12 through 28, those are the guys
Curtin and assistant
that are a little bit down, they feel maybe
coach Ryan Richter,
disrespected. Those are the ones you have to
both former Eastern
have the most little conversations with.”
Pennsylvania youth
It wouldn’t be a session with media
soccer players
representatives if Lionel Messi didn’t come into
(Curtin played at
the conversation.
Council Rock, Richter
“He's probably the one exception where you
at Southampton and Phoenix), ran members of
kind of go, I can't even be mad at guys for being
the media through the paces at a Media Fantasy
a little bit starstruck because he is that much of a
Camp last month.
legend and he has been good for
Before putting them
the league,” Curtin said. “I get a
through training on one of
little frustrated and feel bad for all
the new turf
elds at the
the guys, the players in the
WSFS Sportsplex, the two
league because the whole league
coaches - along with Union
website’s become basically Lionel
defender Jack Elliott -
Messi’ website, but I guess that's
answered questions and
part of what it is. But to your
shared insights about their
point, that was a unique
weekly process, which
experience for everybody. It was
includes poring over
a big moment and one that we
extensive scouting and data
had to learn from and hopefully
shared about every opponent prior to game day.
we get
them again, obviously next
year.”
Curtin, the second-longest tenured coach in
“We made mistakes in that game, that wasn't
MLS, talked about how regularly he meets with
us, you know, even just little things that we just
the technical sta to discuss training, tactics and
don't usually do,” he said. “And I really
lineups.
underestimated that part of the preparation, you
“The technical sta
has a meeting every
know, and maybe I could
morning where we discuss training, we discuss
have toned it down and just
the tactics for the week, we discuss how we're
said, let's just go out not
going to prepare,” Curtin said. “That's where a lot
make such a big deal about
of the discussions will come up on which player
it because we were kind of
maybe suits this game, who needs a rest, who
almost over-hyped for it.”
maybe is suspended, you have to deal with guys
The early goal in that
that are away with international duty, all those
game was an illustration of something Curtin said
things come up. It's never easy, right? And
he notices about how games are sometimes
players, I say it all the time; players one through
covered in the media and discussed on social
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11 they're the happiest guys in the world. They [9] media.
