Jim Curtin envisions "huge advantage" for Austin FC | OneFootball

By Justin Ruderman

Austin, Texas is among the fastest-growing cities in the United States.

And the city's newest transplant, incoming Austin FC head coach Jim Curtin, sees a unique opportunity to turn Q2 Stadium into a cauldron that strikes fear into opponents.

"You have certain feelings when you walk into stadiums where you go, 'Uh oh, this is going to be tough," said Curtin, the former Philadelphia Union coach who held an introductory press conference on Tuesday.

"You feel it in your chest, and you know it. I had that when I walked into Q2 as a Philly coach. I remembered that I saw the facilities, I saw the city, I saw how cool the downtown is. It’s lively, it’s diverse, it’s filled with creative people.

"There’s no coincidence a ton of huge companies are moving there because it attracts this vibe and this feeling that is contagious and something that I really want to be a part of."

The Q2 cauldron

Although he won't officially step into his new role until after the 2026 MLS season, Curtin is already focused on the task at hand once current interim head coach Davey Arnold hands over the proverbial keys to the car.

Appointed earlier this week, Curtin will be the club's third full-time head coach after Josh Wolff led the Verde & Black's expansion years (2021-24) and Nico Estévez was in charge until the FIFA World Cup break last month.

"It’s a perfect environment for professional players to reach their max. It’s the best stadium I feel in North America, Q2 Stadium. And it is my job now to create an environment where other teams in MLS do not like coming to Q2," said the two-time Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year (2020, '22).

"I know it already is considered one of the hardest places to come in terms of fans and the intimidation that they bring, and the effort and passion that they bring every single game.

"Having said that, now it will also be our job not to drop points in that stadium – that is our home field. We have to protect it with their help and their support. It will be an environment where I’ll just say teams will be suffocated for 90 minutes."

Key to that vision? Turning those boiling Texas temperatures into Austin's superpower.

"I know the heat may be looked at as a disadvantage, but I want to turn it into our advantage at Austin FC, where teams just get suffocated on that field," said Curtin, who won the 2020 Supporters' Shield with Philly and led them to MLS Cup 2022.

"The fans are going to give us everything for 90 minutes, so we have to empty the tank. We’ll go over to them afterwards and celebrate the three points, but we can’t drop points at home. That is a huge, huge advantage that we have."

A cultural melting pot

The other piece? A deep connection to one of the most fervent fanbases in the league, accentuated by being the only major professional sports team in town.

"I really take pride in building culture too, and that piece is very, very important for me moving forward – having everybody feel a part of it," said Curtin, who's been a coaching free agent since Philly parted ways with him in November 2024.

"Talk is cheap, right? I think if you go to every press conference that every coach has done in MLS – the last 40 of them – they all say they’re going to score a ton of goals, they’re going to win, they’re going to do this and that, and a lot don’t deliver. I do think if we do these simple things that I talk about, we will give ourselves a real opportunity for success."

With all that in mind, the goals are clear as the Curtin era takes shape.

"I see a real opportunity now to make it a top team in the Western Conference, a team that is fighting to get back in the [Concacaf] Champions [Cup], a team that is getting home playoff games like the fans deserve," Curtin envisioned.

He added: "The fans are going to be electric, everybody is going to be together, and we’re all going to be pulling in the same direction ... I think this is going to be really special, and I can’t wait to get to work."