RICHMOND, VA – Richmond Kickers Head Coach and Chief Sporting Officer Darren Sawatzky has departed the club in his seventh season, after Sporting Cascades FC triggered a buyout clause in his contract. Assistant Coach Brian Ownby will be elevated to Interim Head Coach immediately and lead the club for the remainder of the 2026 USL1 season. Goalkeeper Coach Evan Munn will be elevated to Interim Assistant Coach effective immediately.
Sawatzky, who was named the eighth head coach of the Kickers on November 6, 2019, leaves the club as the winningest coach in USL League One History, totaling 64 victories across both regular season and playoff competition. Guiding the club to the 2022 USL1 Players’ Shield, Sawatzky led the Kickers to a 14-7-9 record in league play and a 8-2-2 mark at City Stadium. Under his tutelage, the 2022 Kickers set the USL1 single-season goal scoring record with 54 while producing five all-league selections including two MVP candidates in Emiliano Terzaghi and Jonathan Bolanos. During Sawatzky’s tenure, Terzaghi went on to win his three consecutive MVP awards becoming the first player in American men’s outdoor soccer history to do so.
“We appreciate Darren’s [Sawatzky] positive impact on the Richmond soccer community over the last seven years,” Chairman and CEO Rob Ukrop said. “He led us to the 2022 USL1 Players’ Shield and spearheaded our first international player transfer, selling Griffin Garnett to Ferencvárosi TC earlier this year. We wish Darren and Ginny our best as they move closer to their family in the Pacific Northwest as he embarks on his next project in building a squad for Sporting Cascades.”
A fervent believer in the club’s mission to develop young players through first team opportunities in USL League One, Sawatzky led the development and eventual transfer of Richmond native and defender Griffin Garnett to Hungarian club Ferencvárosi for a USL1 record six-figure fee. During his tenure, Garnett and Kickers USL Academy alum Nicholas Simmonds were named to the 2026 U-20 Men’s National Team Domestic Training Camp in Mesa, Arizona. Simmonds, who played in 12 first-team Kickers matches under Sawatzky was the No. 3 overall in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft and ACC Freshman of the Year at the University of Virginia in 2025. Overall, Sawatzky has provided USL1 first team opportunities for over 15 local academy products and helped create one of the most well respected youth development pipelines in the country.
A fervent believer in the club’s mission to develop young players through first team opportunities in USL League One, Sawatzky led the development and eventual transfer of Richmond native and defender Griffin Garnett to Hungarian club Ferencvárosi for a USL1 record six-figure fee. During his tenure, Garnett and Kickers USL Academy alum Nicholas Simmonds were named to the 2026 U-20 Men’s National Team Domestic Training Camp in Mesa, Arizona. Simmonds, who played in 12 first-team Kickers matches under Sawatzky was the No. 3 overall in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft and ACC Freshman of the Year at the University of Virginia in 2025. Overall, Sawatzky has provided USL1 first team opportunities for over 15 local academy products and helped create one of the most well respected youth development pipelines in the country.
“I want to thank Rob for giving me the opportunity to lead the Richmond Kickers from 2020 through a pandemic and into a new era,” said Darren Sawatzky. “I am grateful to have lived in an amazing city and have worked with so many great people. Winning a championship, transferring a player to a major European club, and having a player drafted third in the MLS draft are highlights. Richmond deserves a winner and I will support this great club as it grows into the future of the game in the United States.”
Sawatzky departs the club having coached 180 games, winning the 2022 players shield and having advanced to at least the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in four of five eligible seasons including the round of 32 in 2026.
