Finding MLS-ready defenders in the late rounds of the SuperDraft has become something of a Philadelphia Union specialty. Richie Marquez and Jack Elliott have both earned significant minutes after they were plucked from obscurity on draft day. Another club that had success with a late-round defender? Bob Bradley's Chicago Fire. In 2001, the current LAFC head coach brought in a big, lanky, hard-nosed kid from Villanova to fortify a defense that needed to support the best attack in the league. "I had some really good contacts in Philadelphia that told me he was a smart player, he was good with the ball, he was a good passer, his size, defensively, and so I was excited that we could bring him to Chicago," Bradley said this week.
But even though Curtin was a two-time All Big East selection, it was a risk to bring in a guy from a school that had never produced a MLS player. Especially since that Chicago Fire team was a who's who of big personalities that could tear a rookie to pieces if he wasn't ready to play from day one. "We had a very good team; we had experienced guys," Bradley told me. "And you needed players that could come in and understood the game and knew how to play. Because guys like Peter Nowak and Hristo Stoichkov, they were guys that demanded a lot of all the players, young guys got tested."
Curtin passed the tests, and he played in over 150 matches during an eight year career with the Fire. Bradley was only the coach for two of those seasons, but he quickly saw the intelligence that would make help the defender transition into a coaching role. "I think Jim and [New York Red Bulls head coach] Jesse [Marsch] were players that just had a good sense of what was going on in the team," Bradley remembers. "They understood why we did certain things in training, they were smart tactically. So to see them both do well as coaches, you could see it coming. And I think whenever you see a guy go from coaching to playing, when you know that they have certain ideas that they took from the game that they are able to apply when they're in charge, that's the best starting point."
For his part, Curtin calls Bradley, "the best leader in American soccer that we've ever had."
"He's fair, he's honest, he coaches the right way," Curtin continued. "He's not a guy that looks for accolades or looks for people to talk about him or his teams. He's a man of action, and one that I respect a great deal."
Former Union assistant coach and current LAFC Director of Soccer Operations Mike Sorber has worked extensively with both men. In Bradley -- who he calls "the whole package: offensively, defensively, individually, collectively," -- and Curtin, Sorber sees two coaches who emphasize innovation and new thinking. "He always had an open mind and an ability to listen to ideas," he said of Curtin. "I think the best thing with Jimmy was the consistency and that the group always showed up every day competing and fighting and giving their best effort on the field."
Bradley agrees that Curtin's teams always work, and he sees the Union coach's ideas developing over time. "His teams try to play football the right way. They're organized, attacking-wise I think they have good ideas, I think he has a good vision of the game and I think it comes through in his teams."
A lot of Curtin's openness to ideas comes from Bradley, a man he credits with starting him on both his playing and coaching careers, and with showing him how to be a leader. But, conversely, Curtin's belief in sticking to your philosophy in the face of criticism also comes from the LAFC head man. Bradley may be open-minded, but he has a steely resolve when it comes to his coaching vision. "You're not going to last long as a coach if you're constantly changing your ideas based on things you hear," Bradley told me. "Of course, fans want to win. And the responsibility of the coach is to put a team on the field that competes and takes points, and has a real identity."
This season, Philadelphia Union's identity seems to be coming into focus. An intelligent trio of central midfielders supporting speedy wingers and a youthful, high-ceiling defense has Philly pushing for a playoff spot in a talented Eastern Conference. But now Curtin, the red mop of hair he sported as a player since trimmed to a close crop, and his uniform exchanged for a suit, must take his charges into Bradley's brand new home in Los Angeles. "To have the opportunity to coach against him will be unique, for sure," Curtin said when asked in his press conference about standing on the sidelines across from the man that drafted him. "For the 90 minutes, we'll try to push each other as best we can."
And after that, the old friends will chat. "I've been lucky," Bradley reflects. "I coached a lot of guys where we shared good experiences and I really love catching up with guys where the soccer discussion is a good one, where the football discussion is real.
"And with Jim, that's always the case."
