Alumnus John Hackworth, `90, is the Technical Director for St. Louis City Soccer Club and continues to live out his dreams in the soccer industry. Although this is the first time in 30 years that Hackworth hasn’t coached, he gets to see the other side of the field and help grow St. Louis City SC in a new capacity while remembering how he got to where he is today
Hackworth came to Brevard College from Dunedin, FL, to play soccer. The small class sizes, professors, mountain biking, camping, and being ranked in the region for soccer were a few of Hackworth’s favorite memories from BC.
“I had some of the best times of my life at Brevard. It’s one of my favorite places in the world. I even met my wife in my very first class at BC,” stated Hackworth.
Hackworth decided to attend Brevard College with his best friend, Michael Patrick, who is still his “best friend to this day.” They played soccer together under David Taylor and Joe Bartlinski and were recruited by Don Scarborough. “Coach Scarborough and his family were amazing, which made it easy to choose BC.”
After two years at Brevard College, Hackworth played Division I soccer at Wake Forest University. It was there that Hackworth realized his passion for coaching. Right before graduating from Wake Forest, Hackworth’s coach stated that Hackworth “has the talent of a true coach and a leader.” This led Hackworth to coach the women’s soccer team at Wake Forest University in 1993.
That position led Hackworth to become the men’s soccer assistant coach at Wake Forest University in 1994 while playing professional soccer for the Carolina Dynamo. From there, Hackworth was hired as the head coach at the University of South Florida in 1998. During his time at USF, he took the team to two NCAA tournament appearances and coached some incredible seasons. In 2002, Hackworth advanced to become the assistant to the United States U-17 national soccer team.
“I love the game so much, so I had to take every opportunity thrown at me,” said Hackworth.
He continued to do so by becoming the U.S. U-17 head coach in 2004. He coached this team at the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) U-17 World Cup in 2005 and 2007. After these two successful runs, Hackworth joined the United States men’s national team as an assistant. In 2009, Hackworth joined the Philadelphia Union as a coach and youth development coordinator, ultimately becoming head coach in 2012.
After his success with the Philadelphia Union, Hackworth continued his career with the U.S. U-15 men’s national team as head coach in 2014. In 2015, he was selected as the assistant coach to the Olympic National Team. In December of 2015, Hackworth once again became the head coach for the U.S. U-17 National Team, and in 2018, became the assistant coach of the men’s national team.
After all of his success on and off the pitch, Hackworth joined Louisville City Football Club as head coach and sporting director. He led the team to a USL Championship title in 2018, coached the team again in the 2019 final, and in 2020, saw Louisville City post the Eastern Conference’s best regular season record. In 2021, Hackworth was named director of coaching for the Major League Soccer expansion club, St. Louis City Soccer Club. Now, Hackworth holds the title of Technical Director for St. Louis City, where he oversees the teams, works with the coaches, and divides recruiting efforts.
Not only is Hackworth a tremendous soccer player and coach, but he is also a proud dad of three sons and a husband to Tricia Bone Hackworth `90. When asked what his advice would be for aspiring coaches, Hackworth stated, “To start coaching, start local. You are doing your job correctly if you can organize a chaotic group of kids and lead and inspire them. Also, make coaching fun! Most athletes want to have fun, no matter what level they play at. Lastly, always show up with a smile, and I promise you will leave with a bigger one.”