Authored By Staff Report
Chattanooga’s new professional soccer team has a head coach now. Leaders announced Tuesday that Tim Hankinson will take the job heading up the USL Division III team. Hankinson has decades of coaching experience, including time with Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids. Team owner Bob Martino said leaders carefully vetted several qualified candidates. “Tim’s experience and approach to building a championship team coupled with his energy and leadership skills made us very comfortable with our decision,” he also said, according to a news release. “He is the right fit.” Hankinson has coached at every level of the game from collegiate to professional and international. He was the first U.S. National to coach in Iceland and later led Guatemala’s U17 National Team. “For our soccer team and Chattanooga, we are excited to secure a head coach with top-level experience in the professional arena,” General Manager Sean McDaniel said, according to a news release. In recent years, Hankinson was the head coach of Indy Eleven, which he led to a 2016 Spring Championship and a berth in the 2016 Championship Final. Hankinson was named Coach of the Year for his 2016 season at the helm of the Eleven. Most recently he coached Montego Bay United. “First and foremost, I am grateful and honored to be named head coach of the new Chattanooga pro soccer team,” Hankinson said. “I look forward to playing my part in building a championship team that Chattanooga and the region will be proud to support.”
