St. Louis CITY SC, who are set to join Major League Soccer in 2023 as an expansion club, have hired John Hackworth as their director of coaching.
Hackworth, who served as the Philadelphia Union's head coach from 2012-14, will support sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel in managing the club’s coaching development programs. Additionally, Hackworth 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 release. “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 previously led three US U-17 men’s national teams to FIFA U-17 World Cups, memorably bringing them to a quarterfinal in 2017. He also was an assistant coach for the USMNT in 2007.
Aside from steering Philadelphia, he was a Union assistant coach for three years and helped develop the club’s academy program.
“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,” 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.”
