Philadelphia Union’s Jim Curtin named 2020 Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year
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NEW YORK (Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020) – Major League Soccer today announced that Philadelphia Union Head Coach Jim Curtin has been named the 2020 Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year.
In 2020, Curtin led Philadelphia to the club’s first-ever piece of hardware – the Supporters’ Shield – which was awarded by their passionate fans in recognition of the most points per game (2.04) with the best regular season record (14-4-5), earning top seed and homefield advantage in the Audi 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs. During a record-setting season, the Union posted an unblemished 9-0-0 mark at Subaru Park, achieving the first perfect home record over an entire season in league history. Philadelphia led MLS with a mere 20 goals allowed this season, posting 0.87 goals against average that ranks seventh-best in league.
Under Curtin’s leadership, the Union have consistently increased their winning percentage each season, an upward trajectory that culminated in 2020 with by far the best mark in club history (0.717).
After beginning his coaching career in the Philadelphia Union Academy in 2010, Curtin has moved his way up the club’s coaching ranks. He became an assistant coach for the first team in 2012 before taking the helm as head coach in 2014 and leading the club to consecutive U.S. Open Cup Finals (2014, 2015). As a player, Curtin was an MLS All-Star with more than 150 appearances, and he becomes the fifth MLS player all-time to win Supporters’ Shield as both a player and a head coach.
Curtin will lead the Philadelphia Union in Round One of the Audi 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs on Nov. 24 when they face the lower advancing team from the Play-In Round.
The 2020 Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year award was voted on by MLS club technical staff, media, and current MLS players. Below is a breakdown of the voting results:
| Player | Player Vote % | Club Vote % | Media Vote % | Final Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Curtin (PHI) | 33.38% | 53.15% | 44.49% | 43.68% |
| Oscar Pareja (ORL) | 20.73% | 18.92% | 32.42% | 24.02% |
| Greg Vanney (TOR) | 4.57% | 5.41% | 4.24% | 4.74% |
| Giovanni Savarese (POR) | 4.27% | 5.41% | 3.81% | 4.50% |
| Caleb Porter (CLB) | 5.64% | 2.70% | 2.33% | 3.56% |
| Peter Vermes (SKC) | 3.66% | 3.60% | 2.75% | 3.34% |
| Gary Smith (NSH) | 2.29% | 3.60% | 4.03% | 3.31% |
