ST. LOUIS — Major League Soccer expansion franchise St. Louis City SC has added a former MLS head coach to its staff as it grows its on-field operations.
City SC has appointed John Hackworth as its director of coaching. While City SC announced Hackworth’s hiring on Friday, he had previously been linked to the upstart franchise. Sports news website The Athletic in July reported Hackworth was said to be joining City SC.
Hackworth comes to City SC after having most recently been head coach of Louisville City FC, which plays one tier below Major League Soccer in the United Soccer League Championship. He was head coach of the MLS’ Philadelphia Union from 2012 to 2014. He’s also held coaching roles at the collegiate level and with U.S. Soccer.
In his role with City SC, Hackworth will work with Sporting Director Lutz Pfannenstiel to mentor the club’s coaches and supervise its coaching development programs. City SC said in a release that Hackworth’s position will involve “managing and providing leadership to the club’s technical staff regarding St. Louis City’s playing style.”
“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,” said Pfannenstiel. “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.”
Pfannenstiel, who is German and has extensive soccer experience overseas, said in an interview he felt it was important to hire an American for the coaching director role. With Hackworth, he said City SC has appointed someone “who knows the country, who knows the league, who knows the soccer here from the top level down.”
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