Ex-Mariners skipper lands American coaching job

Former Central Coast Mariners captain John Hutchinson has joined Seattle Sounders as an assistant coach for their reserve team.  

Hutchinson, who was an assistant coach at the Mariners last season under Tony Walmsley, was unveiled by the MLS club on Wednesday as part of a coaching restructure.

The former A-League championship winner, who in 19 years as a professional footballer made over 400 appearances in Australia, joins Ezra Hendrickson's S2 staff for the 2017 season. 

"We are very pleased to bring John into our technical staff," Hendrickson told the official Sounders website.

"In addition to his robust professional career as player, his coaching philosophy and leadership qualities fit very well in our organization.

"I look forward to seeing how he develops our young players and helps them grow on and off the field."

Getty

Hutchinson, 37, made 268 appearances and scored 18 goals for the Mariners including winning two A-League premierships and captaining the Gosford-based club to a grand final win in 2013.

The defensive midfielder also played 11 times for Malta.

Hutchinson joins S2's coaching staff as a replacement for Junior Gonzalez, who has taken over at fellow United Soccer League (USL) side Rio Grande Valley FC.

The USL is one of two competitions - alongside the NASL - that is classed as second-tier in the United States' football pyramid.

Hutchinson is the second by an Australian coach to secure an overseas gig in a week after former Green Gully coach Arthur Papas, who joined Al Ettifaq in the Saudi Arabian Pro League.

Getty

Papas, an ex-assistant at Newcastle Jets, grabbed the headlines in Australia over the past couple of years after leading Oakleigh Cannons and Green Gully to the quarter-finals of the FFA Cup.

The 37-year-old masterminded Green Gully's shock FFA Cup win over Central Coast last year.

Papas will work under Al Ettifaq's head coach Eelco Schattorie for the remaining three months of the season.

Papas has previously worked in India, where he first met Schattorie, where he coached the national Under 23 side, Pailan Arrows and Dempo.