John Hackworth Named U.S. U-15 Coach

John Hackworth is now the coach of the United States U-15 side. The hire comes nearly five months after the Philadelphia Union relieved him of his managerial duties.

Youth coaching is not anything new to Hackworth, who worked with the U.S. U-17 from 2002 until 2007. Before that, he spent ten years coaching in college--first at Wake Forest, then at the University of South Florida. When the Union initially hired him in 2009, he was the youth development coordinator in addition to the assistant coach.

Some may view this as a backwards move, considering that Hackworth could have found a coaching job somewhere in MLS despite his fairly miserable record here. However, it is very possible that Hackworth prefers youth coaching. His ascension to the helm of a Major League Soccer team occurred just about as haphazardly as possible. As an assistant and youth coordinator, he didn't have to face the pressure that he faced in his two years as head coach. It's fair to say that he crumbled under it.

Now, he'll have the opportunity to nurture the best young talent that America has to offer. According to this Q&A conducted by U.S. Soccer, he won't only be coaching the U-15 team, but he'll also be helping Tab Ramos and Richie Williams with scouting and development for all U.S. youth teams.

What do you think? Will Hackworth aid the U.S.'s development structure?