Damion Lowe Reunited with Jim Curtin, Andre Blake On Philadelphia Union

Newly-acquired Philadelphia Union center back Damion Lowe has a long history with head coach Jim Curtin and goalkeeper Andre Blake.

Philadelphia Union defender Damion Lowe arrived at the club with familiar faces ready to greet him.

“I joked with Jim (Curtin) when I talked with him that I discovered my long lost father because it’s been a long time coming,” Lowe said.

Lowe, a 29-year-old Jamaican center back, was acquired from Inter Miami in exchange for $225,000 in general allocation money and other assets on January 25.

The move to Philadelphia connected Lowe with Curtin a decade after they worked together at Reading United.

“I feel like every stage of my career it almost  happened where we were entertaining the move to Philly, but it just never happened,” Lowe said.

Curtin had a feeling that Lowe would be a terrific professional center back when the two worked together for the first time. Curtin was the coach of Reading United’s U-20 squad before he was an assistant with the Union.

“The same way you saw it when you worked with Mark McKenzie in the academy where you go here’s a center back that is young and can cover the ground of two players. He was incredibly talented,” Curtin said.

The Union entered the offseason in need of center back depth behind Jakob Glesnes and Jack Elliott. The club is about to embark on a season that could feature over 50 games, and one in which tactical flexibility will be utilized.

“We want to find someone that wants to be a starter, of course, and I think Damion has shown that he is a starter in this league. He was for Miami,” Curtin said. “We also had in mind that we could play with three (at the back) quite a lot this year.”

The Union had a few options on the table, including a potential move for USL center back Josh Wynder, but the move for Lowe made the most sense.

“We started to look in league. There was a lot of movement at center back, but we were really lucky to get a guy like Damion, who has been a starter and is someone I worked with very early in his career as an 18-19-year-old for that Reading U20 team that was really good,” Curtin said.

Lowe took a circuitous path to being a wanted center back in the offseason trade market.

The Jamaican signed with the Seattle Sounders after his time with Reading United. He dealt with injuries there and moved to the Tampa Bay Rowdies in search of consistent minutes.

“I was in Seattle. Injuries hindered me from being a regular in the team,” Lowe said. “They said I had potential to be a top defender and they said I needed minutes. We decided to go to Tampa Bay Rowdies because at that time they were trying to get into MLS. That never worked out so I decided to go to Europe.”

Lowe played three seasons with IK Start in Norway, had a brief stint with Phoenix Rising in the USL and then played in Egypt for Al Ittihad before his move back to MLS in 2022.

“Being in Europe, it really, really grew my game,” Lowe said. “I got a lot of experience and developed. Everywhere I went, it was good. I was a regular starter. I played most games. I was a leader and these are experiences I bring to the Union to help the younger guys and help the team be even better than last year.”

Lowe started 28 games for Inter Miami in his return to MLS last season, and he did not expect a trade would be on the horizon.

“I never had any vibe that I was going to be traded because I had a really good last year,” Lowe said.

“To be honest, I wasn’t protected in the expansion draft so that kind of raised an alarm. After joining up in preseason, everything was going smooth. I just came in one day and they said they had an offer they couldn’t resist and we’ve traded you to the Union. I thanked them for everything.”

The Union’s pursuit of Lowe did not just involve Curtin and the front office. Goalkeeper Andre Blake, who is Lowe’s international teammate with Jamaica, put in a good word for the center back.

“There’s a connection there, plus you have some good feedback from Andre Blake as well. It’s a really good fit for us. He’s a guy that I think is going to help us tremendously,” Curtin said.

“Andre’s been such a great leader for us now,” Curtin continued. “He’s stepped up his game in terms of what he brings to the locker room. He knows what it takes to win. I’m proud to watch him grow in that regard. When he gives feedback about how he thinks Damion can help us take the next step, that is something I take very seriously. Andre is a huge part of the Union’s success.”

That’s not the only link between Curtin and Lowe. Curtin played against Lowe’s father, Onandi, in Major League Soccer.

Onandi Lowe was a striker for the Kansas City Wizards, and Curtin sees some of the same qualities in both father and son.

“I played against his father in MLS,” Curtin said. “He was a player for Kansas City, Onandi Lowe, and he was an amazing striker. And just a handful to cover. He was so big and strong and powerful and Damion has a lot of those same qualities, but he uses them as a defender, which I like because I was a center back myself.”

“Everyone said (my dad) was tough to play against (in MLS). Everyone talked about how good he was,” Lowe said.

Lowe initially followed his father’s positional foot steps, but then drifted further back on the pitch as he got older.

“When I was younger, I was a striker,” Lowe said. “Basically when you’re fast and strong, sometimes the coach puts you up front. It was that type of case. I moved backward in stages. I went from holding mid to center back.”

In 2023, Lowe will compete with Glesnes and Elliott for minutes in a starting center back tandem, and you might see all three together at some point of the campaign. The prospect of playing together, and being part of the squad as a whole has the Jamaican excited for what’s to come.

“I think we have the best group in the whole league,” Lowe said. “It’s really good because we get to push each other to the limit and any of us can get called on at any given time and bring the same quality. I’m happy that I’m able to be a part of a group like this.”