Minnesota United said Thursday that John Pascarella, former goalkeeping coach at Sporting Kansas City, will take on the role with the Loons for the 2018 season.
Pascarella spent eight seasons seasons with Sporting Kansas City before being named last January as head coach of the Des Moines Menace in the Premier Development League (PDL). Pascarella was responsible for scouting, recruitment and leading coaching sessions, as well as coordinating with front-office staff for clinics, camps and other community outreach initiatives.
In a statement from Minnesota United, Pascarell cited the team's "huge ambitions and an outstanding technical staff and I am hoping both to provide additional experience and learn from theirs. Watching them this year, it was obvious that they have a solid core of players and as we add to this group, I believe we can be an exciting and competitive team in MLS."
The Loons had announced in late September that they had mutually parted ways with goalkeeping coach Marius Rovde, who had been away from the club for "personal reasons" for several weeks. Rovde joined the club before the start of its first season in Major League Soccer.
Pascarella played professional soccer for nine seasons, in the U.S. and Peru, before getting into coach at the University of Maryland in 1998. He later coached in Virginia youth soccer and at the high school level as well as in the U.S. Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program. He served as head coach and technical director of the Northern Virginia Royals in the USL Premier Development League from 2007-2008.
He was with Sporting Kansas City first as a goalkeeper and fitness coach from 2009–2011. He then became an assistant coach while the team made a club-record six consecutive playoff appearances, including the 2013 MLS Cup championship and the 2012 and 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup titles.
