The club furthers its commitment to modernize the pro team under the coaching duo
RICHMOND, Va. – (Tuesday, April 26, 2022) – The Richmond Kickers are pleased to announce the contract extensions of Chief Sporting Officer and Head Coach Darren Sawatzky and First Assistant Coach Mika Elovaara. Additionally, Elovaara takes on a greater role with the club as Head Assistant Coach and Director of Methodology and Development. Per club policy, details of both contract extensions will not be released.
“The Richmond Kickers family is excited to extend our relationship with both Darren and Mika through the 2022 season and beyond,” Richmond Kickers’ Chairman and President Rob Ukrop said. “While most fans talk about the on-field success we have had recently, we are most proud of the relationships Darren and Mika have built within the RVA community and their efforts to bring in humble, hard-working players who excel not only on the field but also in their commitment to strengthening our community.
“We are happy that we will continue to see Darren and Mika on the sidelines for years to come, and best of all, their loving families at City Stadium cheering them on!”
Named the eighth head coach of the Kickers on November 6, 2019, and later adding the title of Chief Sporting Officer on November 19, 2020, Darren Sawatzky is currently in his third season at the helm of the Richmond Kickers’ first team. He holds a United States Soccer Federation (USSF) A License and a UEFA A/French Federation Formation license.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to work for such a historic club and with great people,” Sawatzky said. “We are working to make the community proud, and to have the confidence of our leadership to keep pushing forward to build a perpetuating winner is something we take pride in.”
In his first season with the Kickers in 2020, Sawatzky led the club to an 8-6-2 record – the club’s first winning record in four seasons – while navigating the team through the COVID-19 pandemic without a single positive test. His scouting in the lead up to his first season found the 2020 USL League One MVP and Golden Boot winner, Emiliano Terzaghi.
The Kickers made their first postseason appearance since the 2016 season during Sawatzky’s second season in 2021. The club finished with its second-straight winning record of 11-10-7 in the regular season while beginning its still-active unbeaten streak at City Stadium of 16 straight matches. Meanwhile, Terzaghi and goalkeeping coach and starting goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald led the team from either end of the pitch. Terzaghi won his second-straight MVP and Golden Boot award while Fitzgerald was named Goalkeeper of the Year. Both players finished as All-League First Team.
In the opening weeks of his third season, Sawatzky notched his first two wins in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup as the Kickers’ boss after the competition was canceled in his first two seasons because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, Sawatzky and his staff prepare to host the first MLS team to come to City Stadium since the 2015 season when Charlotte FC comes to town on May 11, 2022. The Kickers are seeking their first win over MLS competition in the Open Cup since the 2011 season.
Prior to joining the Kickers, Sawatzky excelled at building up academy systems focused on youth player development with clear pathways to the professional ranks.
The Seattle, Wash. native served as the assistant coach under Seattle Sounders Head Coach Brian Schmetzer during their final seasons in the USL before taking the helm of the club’s U23 team and directing the development academy. Under Sawatzky’s tenure, the Sounders produced professional talents like United States Men’s National Team players DeAndre Yedlin and Jordan Morris.
Elovaara begins his expanded role as Head Assistant Coach and Director of Methodology and Development after serving as the professional team’s First Assistant Coach since the 2019 season.
He served as the Commissioner of the Boys Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) prior to joining the Kickers’ coaching staff as an assistant coach. An accomplished and accredited coach in many soccer disciplines, Elovaara holds a USSF A Senior License, UEFA B License, and UEFA Football Strength and Conditioning diploma.
“Richmond is a city with a proud soccer history and potential for an exciting future,” Elovaara said. “I am incredibly grateful to Rob Ukrop and Darren Sawatzky for their belief in my abilities to continue to work with everyone as we strive to build and develop a club that the whole RVA soccer community is excited to support and be a part of.”
Having previously worked in Europe as well as in the US helping develop youth national team and professional players, Elovaara has become a staple in the Richmond soccer community since moving to the city in 2014 when he served as the Associate Head Coach for the University of Richmond’s women’s soccer team from 2014-2018. With the Spiders, his main responsibilities included recruiting, player development, game model development and match analysis.
When he’s not working with the Kickers, Elovaara can be found at the soccer complexes across the Richmond area and surrounding counties cheering on his children who participate in the local soccer community.
The extension of Sawatzky and Elovaara marks a further commitment to the duo who have worked tirelessly writing the next chapter in the Kickers’ storied history of 30 consecutive years of operation.
“I really look forward to working with Mika to modernize the player pathway and continue to involve the young players in our community,” Sawatzky said. “We want to have players born here, playing here, starring for the professional team, then moving on to higher levels of the game.”
Working in concert, Sawatzky and Elovaara will continue to flesh out the Kickers’ vast scouting network and build relationships with local coaches to identify the next great Kickers players.
“In my expanded role, I will continue to iron out details of our daily work as well as forge strong relationships within the Central Virginia soccer community to help modernize the technical side of player pathways and opportunities,” Elovaara concluded.
The Kickers have a week off from league play before preparing to host Forward Madison on May 7 when the Kickers will celebrate the anniversary of the club’s inaugural season opener in May 1993. Then, the Kickers will host Charlotte FC of the MLS on Wednesday, May 11 in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Round of 32. Tickets for both matches are on sale now at richmondkickers.com/tickets.
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