Nick Sackiewicz Steps Down as Hartford Athletic CEO

The experienced executive preached the importance of long-term sustainability and a major rebuild in December. Now, he departs after less than a season in charge.

After just nine months on the job, Hartford Athletic announced Tuesday that Nick Sackiewicz has stepped down as the Chief Executive Officer of Hartford Athletic.

Upon his hiring in December, Sackiewicz, who played a crucial role in the founding of Major League Soccer and the Philadelphia Union in 30+ years as a soccer executive, consistently emphasized the plan for a long-term rebuild, preaching sustainability and investment over multiple seasons in an exclusive interview with The Blazing Musket.

“[With] six coaches in five years, you can’t build an identity with that kind of turnover anywhere,” Sakiewicz said in the December interview. “I know, and the people I hire and surround myself with know what success looks like. So after 30 years, you get enough things wrong where you don’t do those things wrong anymore…It’s not easy to fix, but you kind of know what buttons to push to fix it...When you look at what Hartford Atheltic has done historically, they haven’t really approached it that way.”

Now, that journey has been cut short after less than one season on the job.

In his time with Hartford, Sackieiwicz played an essential role in the hiring of his long-time colleague in Brendan Burke, along with big-name signings such as former Sporting CP goalkeeper Renan Ribeiro. Sackiewicz also oversaw the opening of a new training facility, improvements to the team offices, player facilities, and several stadium upgrades. Despite an offseason overhaul that saw just four returners from the Green and Blue’s 2023 roster, the team hasn't lived up to expectations in 2024, and currently sit in 11th place in the Eastern Conference.

According to a club statement, Sackiewicz made the decision to step down after “other significant opportunities” arose.

Whether or not the team’s performance influenced the decision, whether the club will hire a replacement, or what that means for Brendan Burke and his staff remains unclear.