John Hackworth coached Louisville City FC to the USL Championship title. (USA TODAY Photo)
ST. LOUIS – St. Louis City SC Friday named former Philadelphia Union and Louisville City FC head coach John Hackworth as its director of coaching.
In his role, Hackworth will support sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel in managing the club’s coaching development programs, working closely with the coaches to ensure the team’s sporting philosophy is maintained at all levels.
Hackworth also will be responsible for managing and providing leadership to the club’s technical staff regarding St. Louis City’s playing style.
“It’s an honor to have this opportunity to join St. Louis City SC and be a part of building a world class club,” Hackworth said in a statement. “Once I got to know Lutz and his commitment to this project, I knew it was the place I wanted to be. From the top down, this is a club with a winning mentality and team first culture, so I’m excited for the chance to build on that.”
Hackworth directed three U.S. men’s Under-17 national teams to U-17 World Cups. In 2017, Hackworth guided the team to the quarterfinals, coaching St. Louis born forward Josh Sargent. He also was an assistant coach on the U.S. men’s national team in 2007.
In his most recent role, Hackworth served as the head coach and sporting director of United Soccer League Championship team Louisville City FC, directed the team to the 2018 USL Championship title and to the finals a year later.
In Major League Soccer, Hackworth served as the head coach of the Union from 2012-14, after spending three years as an assistant coach.
“We are thrilled to have John join our club’s sporting department, as I’ll be working closely with him on overseeing the coaches and the development programs,” St. Louis sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel said. “He is an exceptional coach whose experience at the national team and MLS level makes him a perfect fit for this role. I’m confident that he will help us to achieve our goals, by using his knowledge and experience to make our players and coaches better, not just better professionals, but well-rounded people.”
