John Hackworth Named Director of Coaching for St Louis City SC

John Hackworth Background

Who is John Hackworth? He has been newly named the Director of Coaching for St Louis City SC. He grew in Dunedin, Florida an played soccer at Brevard College in 1988 and 1989 before moving on the Wake Forest for two years of collegiate soccer. He played several years in the United States Development Soccer League and became an assistant girls coach at Wake Forest in 1993. In 1998 he was hired to be the head coach at the University of South Florida where he took them to two NCAA tournament appearances. In 2002, Hackworth became an assistant to United States U-17 men’s national soccer team.In 2004, he became their head coach and had tons of success as he took them to two World Cup experiences.

John Hackworth and the MLS

In 2009, he became a coach for the Philadelphia Union, at the time an expansion team, and was also head of their player development. In June of 2012, he was named the interim coach of the Union and in August was given the title as head coach. In his first full season his squad missed the playoffs by three points. In 2014, the Phiadelphia Union relieved him of his coaching duties. From 2015-2018 he once again was involved in youth soccer and player development. In August 2018, he beame head coach of Louisville SC of the USL where he guided them to a championship in his first year and was back on the title game in 2019 and 2020. After that year, both side decided to mutually part ways.

John Hackworth was named on October 1, 2021 as the director of coaching for the new MLS soccer team in St. Louis.

He was born in 1970 and has a son, Morgan Hackworth, that plays professional soccer in the USL.