Coaches

John Michael Hayden

John Michael Hayden, a Louisville native who has served as an assistant coach with the Cardinals for four seasons, was named head coach of the University of Louisville men's soccer program by UofL Vice-President/Director of Athletics Vince Tyra on Dec. 27, 2018.


"Following a diligent search process, we are extremely pleased to name John Michael as our next head coach. There was an amazing amount of support for John Michael from all levels of the soccer world, including many connected with our program at Louisville," Tyra said. "He's a talented coach and relentless recruiter who enjoys teaching an attacking style that will foster ongoing success."


Hayden became the fifth head coach in the history of the UofL men’s soccer program, which completed its 40th season in 2018. In three seasons at the helm, he has compiled a 25-23-4 record and a 13-13-2 mark in ACC play.


The 2021 season saw Hayden lead the Cardinals to the program’s first ever ACC Atlantic Division title. Louisville finished with a 10-7-1 overall record and a 5-3-0 mark in conference play. The Cards earned an at-large bid and a home match in the NCAA Tournament. Louisville ranked as one of the top scoring teams in the country, finishing with the program’s highest goal total in 11 seasons. Aboubacar Camara and Pedro Fonseca each earned First Team All-ACC honors, while Sander Roed was a Third Team and All-ACC Freshman Team selection. Camara’s 13 goals were tied for the third-most in program history. Fonseca was later selected by Real Salt Lake in the second round of the MLS SuperDraft.


Dealing with the challenges of playing during the COVID-19 pandemic, Hayden's second season saw the Cardinals post a 5-8-1 overall mark split across the fall and spring semesters. Battling a bevy of injuries, UofL went just 1-6-1 during the fall portion of the season, but rebounded in the spring and posted a 4-2-0 record and finished second in the ACC Atlantic Division. The Cardinals capped off the spring season with a 2-1 victory over No. 1 Clemson in the regular season finale. Elijah Amo and Pedro Fonseca were each named to the All-ACC teams, while Aboubacar Camara was the conference's leading scorer during the spring and earned All-Freshman laurels. Amo (Real Salt Lake) and Lamine Conte (New York Red Bulls) were both selected in the MLS SuperDraft in January of 2021, becoming Louisville's 24th and 25th all-time selections, while Jake Gelnovatch inked a professional deal with USL Championship club Memphis 901 FC.


In his first season at the helm, Hayden led the Cardinals to a 10-8-2 overall record and a 3-4-1 record in ACC play. The Cards handed eventual national champion Georgetown its only loss of the season with a 1-0 double overtime victory at Lynn Stadium. Hayden became the first Louisville head coach to lead the Cardinals to a pair of NCAA wins in their first season, including an upset of No. 14 UC Davis. The Cards qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year. The Cardinals advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the last four years and the seventh time in the last 10 seasons. Under Hayden, Cherif Dieye was named to the All-ACC Second Team and was named a United Soccer Coaches All-South Region Second Team. Dieye became UofL's 23rd player chosen all-time in the MLS SuperDraft and the seventh player to be drafted in the first round.


During his four seasons as an assistant coach with the Cardinals (2012, 2016-18), the program accumulated a 52-19-11 record overall with four NCAA Championship berths, three Elite Eight appearances and two conference championships.


Louisville registered its first ACC Championship title in 2018 before ending the season with an 11-5-3 record overall. The Cardinals, which defeated Notre Dame, Wake Forest and North Carolina in a span of eight days to win the ACC championship, closed the season ranked 16th in the final United Soccer Coaches Top 25. Forward Tate Schmitt closed his brilliant collegiate career as a TopDrawerSoccer.com Best XI Second Team selection and was among three All-ACC honorees for UofL.


The Cardinals reached the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Championship for the fifth time in eight seasons in 2017, including the second straight year, and earned a No. 7 ranking in the final United Soccer Coaches Top 25. The Cardinals finished with a 13-2-5 record and were second in the ACC Atlantic with a 5-2-1 league record. Defender Tim Kubel was a United Soccer Coaches First Team All-American, a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist and was among three All-ACC selections for Louisville that season.


During Hayden's first season back with the Cardinals in 2016, the team advanced to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Championship for the fourth time in school history and was ranked No. 6 in the final coaches poll. Louisville had a 14-6-2 record overall and finished second in the ACC Atlantic Division with a 5-2-1 conference mark. The 14 wins were the third most in school history equaling the totals from 2011 and 2012.


Prior to returning to Louisville, Hayden served as associate head coach at Xavier University in 2015 helping the Musketeers compile 12 wins and earn a No. 10 ranking in the NSCAA poll. XU won at No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 1 Creighton during the fall, widely considered to be the first time any team had knocked off the top two NSCAA-ranked teams on the road in the same season.


Hayden joined the Musketeers after spending two successful seasons as an assistant coach at Lipscomb University, where he helped the Bisons to a program-best 12-4-1 record and A-Sun regular season title in 2014. Lipscomb was 21-13-4 overall during his two years in Nashville, racking up several conference honors in the process. Hayden trained the 2014 A-Sun Defender of the Year, Luke Gearin, and the A-Sun Freshman of the Year, Ivan Alvarado. In 2013, he mentored A-Sun Player of the Year Omar Djabi and assisted A-Sun Coach of the Year Charles Morrow – both program firsts for the Bisons.


Ahead of his two years at Lipscomb, Hayden helped lift Louisville to a 14-6-1 record, a BIG EAST Red Division regular season championship and an Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA Tournament during a highly successful 2012 season. Before his first stint with the Cardinals, Hayden served as Director of Coaching with the Kentucky Fire Juniors USYSA club, obtaining his USSF National "A" coaching license and traveling to Spain with U.S. Soccer as part of a development workshop with the international powerhouses FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.


Hayden was a decorated player before transitioning into coaching, playing collegiately at Indiana University winning back-to-back NCAA championships with the Hoosiers in 2003 and 2004. He scored an overtime header against No. 3 Maryland in the 2004 College Cup, sending IU to the title match. During his sophomore season, Hayden scored career-highs with seven goals, four assists and 18 total points -- tying for the team lead with six game-winning goals. Hayden was a Big Ten All-Conference selection in 2004 and 2006 and was named to the NCAA College Cup All-Tournament Team during the Hoosiers' 2004 title run.


In 2007, Hayden was selected 13th overall in the MLS SuperDraft by the Houston Dynamo. His pro debut came on July 10, 2007 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup against Charleston Battery. In his rookie season, the Dynamo won an MLS Cup Championship. He wrapped up his professional career after signing with the Louisville Lightning in January of 2010.


A two-time Parade Magazine All-American at Louisville's Trinity High School, Hayden was named NSCAA/adidas Kentucky Player of the Year along with Gatorade and Eurosport honors. When he signed with IU, he was recognized as a top-25 recruit by Soccer America.


In 2007, Hayden married Hollie Minogue, who played soccer for Louisville's women's team and the couple has two sons, Liam and Jacob.