Austin FC said Friday that Jim Curtin will become its third head coach after the 2026 Major League Soccer season, setting up a future change on the sideline while the club still works through the rest of the year under interim coach Davy Arnaud.
The timing matters because Austin made the announcement now, not after the season, and it did so while its search for a new Sporting Director remains ongoing. The club also said it remains fully committed to competing during the 2026 season, even as it locked in the coach it wants in place afterward.
Curtin arrives with a decade of experience leading Philadelphia Union, where he guided the team to the 2020 MLS Supporters' Shield, the 2022 Eastern Conference title and a place in MLS Cup 2022. Philadelphia reached the playoffs seven times during his tenure, and he was named MLS Sigi Schmid Coach of the Year in both 2020 and 2022. Austin is betting on a résumé that has already produced one of the more durable coaching runs in MLS history, and Curtin’s 141 regular season victories rank ninth-most in league history.
In a statement, Curtin said he was honored to take the job and that he had other opportunities in MLS and abroad, but none that matched the appeal of Austin FC. He pointed to the city, the club’s facilities, Q2 Stadium and the fan base as major reasons for the move, saying the passion of the Austin faithful is known across the league.
There is still a gap in the club’s sporting structure, though. Austin FC has not yet named a Sporting Director, and the future head coach has been announced before that search is complete. The club says it wanted to move decisively and avoid missing the chance to land Curtin, a sign that it is willing to shape the next phase of the project even as one of the key front-office jobs remains unresolved.
For Austin, the decision clarifies what comes next after 2026: Arnaud stays in charge for the remainder of the season, and Curtin takes over when it ends. For Curtin, it closes one long chapter in Philadelphia and opens another in a market that believes it has found the coach to match its ambitions.
