A brief spell at nascent A-League side Western United FC could see John Hutchinson return to the Seattle Sounders organization and join head coach Brian Schmetzer’s staff, according to a report from The Sydney Morning Herald.
Hutchinson has been serving as an assistant at the first-year Australian club, and was previously the head coach of Seattle’s USL Championship side, the Tacoma Defiance, back when they were known as Seattle Sounders FC 2. Before taking on that role, Hutchinson was an assistant at S2 under inaugural head coach Ezra Hendrickson, who’s now an assistant under Caleb Porter at Columbus Crew SC.
The Sounders lifted the 2019 MLS Cup with Schmetzer at the helm, plus with assistant coaches Djimi Traore, Gonzalo Pineda and Preki all playing vital roles. Seattle's staff also includes longtime goalkeeper coach Tom Dutra.
Hutchinson, 39, played professionally from 1996-2015 across several clubs. Most notably, he set an appearance record (268) at A-League side Central Coast Mariners, where his coaching career began. On the international stage, the Australian-born midfielder was capped 11 times by Malta.
Seattle kicks off their 2020 MLS season March 1 at home against Chicago Fire FC, though their first competitive action arrives Feb. 20 at Honduran club Olimpia in the Concacaf Champions League.
