The Union and manager Jim Curtin have started talks on a contract extension

As the Union begin their first week of preseason camp in Clearwater, Fla., manager Jim Curtin isn’t just looking at how he’ll sort out his depth chart for the year. He’s also looking at his own future.

Three months after winning MLS Coach of the Year for the second time, Curtin is heading into the last year of his contract with the Union. And neither he nor the team is waiting to do something about it.

“We already started discussions,” sporting director Ernst Tanner said Tuesday. “We had a meeting with our ownership already, and we brought it up even last year. So it’s on my radar.”

Coincidentally, the talks come at a time when Curtin is a notable candidate to be the next U.S. men’s national team manager. Whether he’s a leading candidate is tough to say, though.

From a pure soccer perspective, U.S. Soccer sporting director Earnie Stewart seems to want to keep Gregg Berhalter in the job. But the Reyna-Berhalter scandal that has seized the headlines this month will make another Berhalter term difficult for the public to stomach. Reports of U.S. Soccer pursuing high-profile foreign candidates including French legend Zinedine Zidane make predicting the future even trickier.

» READ MORE: Our soccer staff debates who should be the next USMNT manager

Curtin’s name will stay in circulation until the national team figures out what it wants to do, whether that’s soon or this summer when higher-profile names become available. For now, Tanner isn’t afraid to share his typically frank view.

“These concerns are always coming up, as you know, but I think that U.S. Soccer needs to sort out what they want to do first and foremost,” he said. “It’s my job to keep my eyes open in case something is going to happen, and this is an ongoing process anyway. So we will prepare if something happens.”

Curtin said earlier this month that he’s “very happy to be here” with the Union. But if U.S. Soccer does call, he’ll pick up the phone.

“Is it flattering to have your name even mentioned in those talks? Yeah, of course it is,” he said. “I think that every head coach should put the egos aside and almost be willing to be an assistant with that team. It’s that big of a job, and it’s that important of a job.”

Tanner has already had to deal with one significant front-office departure this winter. Longtime high performance director Garrison Draper moved to Inter Miami, where he succeeds former U.S. women’s team fitness guru Dawn Scott.

Instead of hiring one replacement, Tanner split the job in two. The new medical chief is Brad Papson, an internal promotion; and the new performance chief is Max Lankheit, hired from the San Jose Earthquakes. His prior stops include the Seattle Sounders and Germany’s FC Nürnberg and St. Pauli.

» READ MORE: Ernst Tanner reveals details of Paxten Aaronson’s move from the Union to Eintracht Frankfurt

As for matters on the field, Tanner confirmed that the Union are on track to start a season with three Designated Players for the first time in team history: Julián Carranza, Mikael Uhre, and Dániel Gazdag with his new raise.

“I’m glad [that] ownership, they made it possible, and we earned a lot of trust,” Tanner said.

But there’s still roster work to do before the season starts on Feb. 25.

“We are in a pretty stable situation but professional business is you’re always looking out for improvements,” Tanner said. “We will definitely sign one, better two, players. ... If we lose players, then of course we need to replace in addition to that.”

There could be promotions from the youth and reserve ranks, with forward Nelson Pierre atop the list of candidates. The 17-year-old from Lebanon, Pa. had a reserve team contract last year, got his first taste of senior-team action in last September’s friendly against Mexican club Pachuca, and is in Clearwater now.

“We will promote him, definitely,” Tanner said, though he doesn’t want to rush it. “We need to have [prospects] in training in order to see how far they’ve developed, and what is best for their development.”

» READ MORE: Dániel Gazdag signs new deal with the Union, gets raise to Designated Player status

Another marquee forward prospect, José Riasco, is away with Venezuela’s under-20 national team for South America’s continental championship in Colombia. Venezuela starts group stage play on Friday, facing Bolivia, Uruguay, Ecuador and Chile.

Tanner said that once Venezuela’s run is over, “We will definitely bring him to first-team training.” But it could be a few weeks. Three teams from the group advance to a final six-team group stage that runs until Feb. 12. The top four finishers qualifying for the under-20 World Cup in May and June.

As for attacking midfield depth, Tanner said Quinn Sullivan is currently on track to be Dániel Gazdag’s chief backup.

“I’m confident with him as a second No. 10, absolutely,” he said.

One player who will not make the jump is Bajung Darboe, a 16-year-old attacking midfielder who joined the Union from Minnesota United when the Loons shut their academy in October 2020.

There was chatter among scouts on social media recently that Minnesota tried to stop the Union from signing Darboe. Tanner said that wasn’t true. But he did say Darboe declined a contract offer from the Union, has acquired a European passport, and is likely headed across the Atlantic.

» READ MORE: Kai Wagner and Olivier Mbaizo are with the Union now, but might not be for long