CHESTER, Pa. -- Shortly after the Philadelphia Union’s heartbreaking loss in the 2014 US Open Cup final, head coach Jim Curtin gave gifts and made a promise to a young fan.
The gifts were his second-place US Open Cup medal, a jersey signed by the entire team, and a handwritten note.
The promise? That he would replace that medal with a gold one as soon as he could.
About a year later, that same young fan hobbled over to a table outside of PPL Park with his parents and sister, on crutches but smiling. Not even a recent foot injury playing soccer could cool 13-year-old Tim Doyle’s excitement that the Union have returned to host a US Open Cup final for the second straight year.
But he’d like Curtin to know that if the Union do prevail in Wednesday’s Open Cup final vs. Sporting Kansas City at PPL Park (7 pm ET, ESPN2), no trade is necessary. Last year’s medal, which he received from Curtin simply because the Union coach found a photo of him crying in the stands at the end of the loss to Seattle, is more than enough.
“I think if we do win, I’ll be very excited,” Doyle said before the Union’s 2-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo on Sept. 20. “But I’ll probably let him have his medal. I mean, because he won it.”
What does Curtin think of being off the hook?
“Oh, I’ll give it to him,” the Union coach vowed. “I’ll give him the medal for sure, and the ring as well, when we win. Those things are great but I think they mean more to a fan. They’re special to a coach and to a player but I think it would be more special to him. I made a promise and I’ll always stand by my promise and my word.”
While Curtin’s promise to one kid is only one small gesture, it’s in many ways symbolic of how the Philadelphia native sympathizes with the city’s often-tortured fans -- since he is one himself. And the picture of Doyle’s tears, while perhaps not that uncommon at PPL Park, still captured a genuine moment and, according to his father Sean, “hit a lot of people.”
To this day, Tim said it was the only game at which he’s ever cried. And Sean, who works for the Union’s affiliate club Reading United AC, has a good idea why.
“For him, a lot of the reaction to that game last year was because of the personal connections he made with how we work with Reading United,” said Sean, who makes the hour-plus commute from Reading to PPL Park for every Union game with his wife and two kids. “Pedro Ribeiro was on that roster, and Andrew Wenger and Ray Gaddis. Way back when Zac MacMath was drafted, Timmy was one of the first young fans to greet him. And to see his heroes kind of come up short was tough. It was an emotional thing for him.”
Tim never expected for Curtin to find about his tears and especially never thought the Union coach would then be compelled to try to cheer him up with a gift. Perhaps even more exciting for him is the relationship the two have built since.
- Get more Philadelphia Union news at PhiladelphiaUnion.com
When the Union played Reading United in June, Tim presented Curtin with his own handwritten note to thank him for his generosity. The 36-year-old coach and young kid then spent some time chatting and catching up.
“He’s one of us,” Sean Doyle said of Curtin. “And he understands the joys and the frustrations of being a Philadelphia sports fan. That was one of those moments that everyone in the stadium is going to remember. Hopefully this season, this is when we lift the cup. That will be exciting. That will be a special moment.”
And maybe, if that happens, another photo will be snapped of a more triumphant Tim. What might that photo look like?
“I don’t know what I would do,” the 13-year-old said, gazing over at PPL Park and trying to imagine his favorite team winning a championship. “But I’m going to be very happy.”
Dave Zeitlin covers the Union for MLSsoccer.com. Email him at djzeitlin@gmail.com.
