Former USL League One Coach of the Year returns to the Pacific Northwest after six years at the helm of Richmond Kickers
Sporting Cascades FC announced today it has named Pacific Northwest native and former USL League One Coach of the Year Darren Sawatzky as head coach, an important milestone as the club prepares for its inaugural season.
Sawatzky, who has spent the last six years as head coach of USL League One side Richmond Kickers, has extensive ties to the Pacific Northwest. A Seattle native, Sawatzky played collegiately for the University of Portland, and after a professional career that included stints with the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders, got his start as a coach with Central Catholic High School in Portland.
Sporting Cascades and Sawatzky have a shared history. Eugene’s former USL League Two team Lane United FC’s first-ever match was against the Sawatzky-coached Seattle Sounders U-23 side. Sawatzky later hired Lane head coach – and the late former sporting director of Sporting Cascades FC – John Galas to be his assistant at former USL League One club FC Tucson.
“I am grateful to have the opportunity to return home to the Pacific Northwest and lead Sporting Cascades FC into USL League One,” said Sawatzky. “We plan to win games for Eugene-Springfield and the greater Oregon community while honoring the legacy of my good friend John and his amazing family. Thank you to the club for this amazing new adventure.”
“Darren has been a good friend and was a fierce rival during his time with the Sounders U-23s,” said SCFC president Dave Galas. “John and I had a historic win over him in our first ever Lane United match, and not too much success against him after that. I am thrilled to be finally competing with him instead of against him. He came through a rigorous search and interview process, which our owner Bill Cornog was embedded in, but Darren’s integrity, passion, competitiveness, and track-record of nurturing young talent and winning on the pitch really shone through. I couldn’t be more excited to have Darren at the helm of our sporting side as we work hard to make this community proud while honoring the legacy of my brother.”
As a player, Sawatzky was drafted by the New England Revolution in 1996. He then went on to score a total of 49 goals across 156 appearances for the Revolution, Dallas Burn, Colorado Rapids, Sounders, and Timbers.
As a coach, Sawatzky led the Guam national team in 2016 and 2017, then broke into the USL League One ranks when was named head coach of FC Tucson in 2018. He left FC Tucson following the 2019 season and was succeeded by John Galas.
Sawatzky joined the Kickers as head coach in 2019, and in his first season at the helm, he led the club to its first winning season in four years. His second season saw the club reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Then in his third season, the Kickers lifted the Players’ Shield with the best regular-season record in the league and saw Sawatzky recognized as the league’s Coach of the Year. The Kickers made the USL League One playoffs in three of Sawatzky’s last five years in Richmond and also advanced to the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup in 2022 before falling to MLS side Charlotte FC.
In addition to winning records, Sawatzy’s coaching career has played a pivotal role in player development. As the head coach of the Seattle Sounders’ U23 team from 2012-18, he developed the likes of future U.S. Men’s National Team stars Jordan Morris and DeAndre Yedlin. At Richmond, he uncovered three-time Golden Boot and league MVP winner Emiliano Terzaghi, and teen phenom Griffin Garnett, who earlier this year transferred to Hungarian powerhouse Ferencvárosi TC for a USL League One record fee.
Sporting Cascades FC is preparing for its inaugural season in USL League One, which will kick off in Spring 2027. The team will play its home games at Eugene’s Civic Park.
DARREN SAWATZKY’S COMPLETE COACHING HISTORY
2001 Central Catholic High School (assistant)
2002-06 Jefferson High School
2004-06 University of Washington (assistant)
2007-08 Seattle Sounders (assistant)
2012-18 Seattle Sounders U-23
2015-18 Tacoma Stars
2016-17 Guam National Team
2018-19 FC Tucson
2019-26 Richmond Kickers
2026- Sporting Cascades FC
