LOUISVILLE, Ky. – John Hackworth was five years old when the Tampa Bay Rowdies arrived on the local scene, the first professional sports team in the Tampa Bay region.

For the Dunedin, Fla. native, the club’s arrival left an indelible impression as he moved through the ranks locally on his way to competing at the collegiate level.

“They're my club,” Hackworth told reporters this week. “They're the team I was born and raised with.”

This Saturday, then, will be a special night for Hackworth as he brings his Louisville City FC side to Al Lang Stadium to square off against his boyhood club for the first time in his career.

“Some amazing memories,” said Hackworth. “Not going to lie, there will be some sentimental feelings coaching against the Rowdies for the first time. As a kid growing up there, they were larger than life. Some of those guys were my heroes and the reason I'm a soccer coach today.”

Hackworth has his own history of coaching in the Tampa Bay area. His first head coaching position was at the University of South Florida, where he led the Bulls to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in the late 1990s. More recently he led the United States U-17 National Team program at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., and on occasion stopped in at Al Lang Stadium as a fan to take in the action about a half-hour drive south from the suburb in which he grew up.