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John Hackworth to coach U.S. U-17s once again

JohnHackworthPhiladelphiaUnion3 (USATODAYSports)
Photo by Eric Hartline/USA Today Sports

John Hackworth will give coaching the U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team another go.

On Wednesday, U.S. Soccer announced Hackworth as the new head coach of the U-17 team, replacing Richie Williams, who left the federation to join the coaching staff of Real Salt Lake in MLS.

“We are thrilled to have John Hackworth on board to lead the U-17 Men’s National Team,” U.S. Soccer technical director Jurgen Klinsmann said in a release. “John is highly respected within the U.S. Soccer community and has experience in all levels of the game, including MLS. He has a positive coaching approach and is great at building bridges. We want to thank Richie Williams for his tireless work and commitment to the program.”

Hackworth was an assistant coach for the U-17 program under John Ellinger before he took the reigns of the team in 2004. During his time in charge of the U-17s, he helped navigate the Americans to a quarterfinals finish in the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Cup. However, two years later, he and the U.S. bounced out of the World Cup during the round of 16.

“This program is near and dear to my heart, I’m excited and honored to be back working with the U-17 National Team,” Hackworth said of his hire. “This is an important age group on the National Team pathway and I’m looking forward to overseeing the training environment that will allow them to maximize their potential at this stage of their careers.”

What do you think of Hackworth’s hire? Think he will do a better job this time? What do you expect from him and the U-17s moving forward?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I would like to see them get some fresh faces in the youth setup. I think Richie and Tab underachieved this past year with pretty strong teams. Tab did OK with the u20’s but need someone at the u17 that can develop better

    Reply
    • According to published reports, Hugo received money from the US and Mexican federations at the same time through his involvement with Alianza de Futbol. Alianza’s model is to send US eligible players to Mexican clubs. If true, it may explain why he is no longer involved.

      Reply
  2. Really. U10. Oh the embellishment. Cmon. Gimme some names. I actually don’t know any and am hoping someone can yield some surprises.

    Reply
    • It’s not embellishment. He’s not a good youth coach. He had a decent record with NYRB with the senior side but he doesn’t do well with youth. Not my fault you’re too lazy to good ‘U10 AYSO coach’

      Reply
      • He was good for NYRB…when he was coaching my Union.
        I’m just happy he isn’t coaching the Union anymore

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