Spokane Velocity starts roster with midfielder, left back

The firsts keep on flooding in for the expansion franchise Spokane Velocity FC.

Spokane announced its first two players who will don the kit of Velocity FC, both veterans of the United Soccer League.

Morgan Hackworth, a 26-year-old midfielder from Philadelphia and Derek Waldeck, a 25-year-old left back from Santa Clarita, Calif, are the first two signings announced on Wednesday in a press release from the club.

“We are excited to welcome both Morgan and Derek to Spokane Velocity FC,” head coach Leigh Veidman said in the release. “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.”

Hackworth spent four years with the San Diego Loyal of the USL Championship and a year with Memphis 901 FC in 2019.

He played two years at Syracuse before transferring to Akron to be a Zip.

Akron played in the NCAA College Cup in 2018, his senior year, where he also was named Academic All-MAC selection, CoSIDA Academic All-America nominee, and an Academic All-Ohio honoree.

His father John is a former player who now is an assistant coach and director of coaching for St. Louis City FC.

Hackworth will sport No. 8.

“Grateful for this opportunity, can’t wait to get to work,” Hackworth said on X, formally Twitter.

Waldeck is familiar with the West Coast as he grew up in California and played for the Stanford Cardinal.

In 2023, he started 29 games for One Knoxville SC and was among the team leaders in minutes played, interceptions, tackles won and duels won.

He has also played for the Greenville Triumph and North Texas FC in both the USL League One and MLS NEXT Pro.

For the Cardinal, he was standout player, where he won two NCAA Championships, three Pac-12 Championships and was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team in his senior year. He set the school record for starts with 89 and is No. 8 in career assists with 22.

He was drafted at No. 66 in the 2020 SuperDraft by FC Dallas.

Waldeck will be No. 18.

Now teammates, the two previously squared off in 2018 when Waldeck’s Cardinal fell to Hackworth’s Zips in the Elite Eight of the NCAA College Cup.

Stanford was the reigning champions, while the Zips were an unseeded Cinderella.

Akron fell to Maryland in the title game.

Velocity FC expect to fill out the remaining 18 spots on its roster in the new few weeks.