Spokane Velocity FC signs first two players in club history
Spokane Velocity FC is picking up speed as the club announces the signings of its first two players, both veterans of United Soccer League teams.
Midfielder Morgan Hackworth, who spent the past four seasons with San Diego Loyal of USL Championship, and defender Derek Waldeck, most recently of One Knoxville SC of USL League One, will be the first to don the Spokane Velocity FC kit, pending league and federation approval.
Morgan Hackworth
Position: Midfielder
Number: 8
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Age: 26
Morgan Hackworth was with SD Loyal for its entire four-season existence. Before signing with San Diego, Hackworth spent the 2019 season with Memphis 901 FC of USL Championship. The Philadelphia-area product started his college career at Syracuse, where he played for two seasons before transferring to the University of Akron. As a Zip, Hackworth started in 17 games, and in 2018 was on the team that played in the finals of the NCAA College Cup. During his senior season, Hackworth was named Academic All-MAC selection, CoSIDA Academic All-America nominee, and an Academic All-Ohio honoree.
Hackworth, 26, is the son of former soccer player John Hackworth, now an assistant coach and director of coaching with St. Louis City SC of MLS.
Morgan HackworthDerek Waldeck
Position: Defender — Left Back
Number: 18
Hometown: Santa Clarita, CA
Age: 25
Waldeck played in all 30 games for One Knoxville SC in 2023, starting in 29 of them, and was among the team leaders in minutes played, interceptions, tackles won and duels won. Before that, he had a standout season with the Greenville Triumph, and played 57 games for the North Texas FC in both USL League One and MLS NEXT Pro play. Waldeck was a star at Stanford, where he won two NCAA Championships, three Pac-12 Championships and was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team in his senior year. While at Stanford, he set the school record for career starts with 89 and sits at No. 8 in career assists with 22.
Waldeck, 25, hails from Santa Clarita, California. He was drafted #66 by Dallas in the 2020 SuperDraft.
When Waldeck and Hackworth team up in Spokane in 2024, it won’t be the first time they’ve met. In 2018, Waldeck’s Stanford Cardinal, the defending NCAA Champion, faced off against Hackworth’s unseeded Akron Zips in the Elite Eight of the NCAA College Cup. The Zips defeated the Cardinal en route to an appearance in the final game against eventual champion Maryland.
"We are excited to welcome both Morgan and Derek to Spokane Velocity FC,” said Velocity Coach Leigh Veidman. “We have two high character people joining our club who are going to be instrumental in the locker room in our first year helping lay the foundations for the future of this club and community. On the pitch, they are both extremely hard-working individuals who bring great quality and experience of what it takes to be successful in the USL with both being involved in playoff teams over multiple years.”
With Spokane Velocity FC beginning action in early March 2024, team officials expect to fill out the rest of the 20-man roster in the coming weeks. Fans can watch for more announcements on social media, the website www.spokanevelocityfc.com, and the club’s newsletter (subscribe here).
Spokane Velocity FC will begin play in 2024 as a Division III team in USL League One, with the home opener at the new ONE Spokane Stadium on March 16, 2024. USL Spokane will also field Spokane Zephyr FC, a women’s USL Super League team expected to be sanctioned as a first division team beginning play in August 2024. A pre-professional women’s team made up of elite college athletes will play in the USL W League. USL Spokane is owned by Aequus Sports LLC; its principals are Katie Harnetiaux, the club president, and Ryan Harnetiaux, both of whom are originally from Spokane.