TAMPA, Fla. – USL League One announced on Wednesday that Greenville Triumph SC’s John Harkes had been named the League One Coach of the Month for September. The award is Harkes’ second of the season as Greenville recorded a perfect month with four wins in four contests to remain on top of the league standings.

Greenville began the month with a 2-1 victory against South Georgia Tormenta FC to end a two-game losing streak at the end of August and then rolled through the rest of the month’s matchups. The side posted three consecutive shutout victories, including two against sides currently in the top five in the league standings (Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, Forward Madison FC).

“They’ve been able to find that balance and exploit teams and they want more details,” said Harkes. “It makes you a better coach. Their commitment to training, especially during a pandemic has been amazing. Given all these challenges, they are still committed day-in and day-out.” 

Harkes’ squad is on course to concede the fewest goals in the league for a second consecutive season, having recorded nine shutouts in 13 games going into its visit to FC Tucson this Saturday night.

Since the end of September, Greenville has secured its second consecutive trip to the League One Final with three games remaining in its regular season. Triumph SC is the favorite to host the title game this season, which will be played on Friday, October 30 at 8 p.m. ET and aired live on ESPN+, ESPN Deportes and SiriusXM FC, but while the side is proud of its accomplishments so far it also knows there is still plenty of work to be done before the Final arrives.

“We just don’t let our foot off the gas,” said Harkes. “We keep pushing because there’s no reason for us to think that we’ve accomplished anything. Certainly, no other team feels that way. We’ve found a balance because of pushing hard but appreciating the work we’ve done. It’s about keeping things light so the pressure doesn’t add up.”

Harkes was selected as League One’s Coach of the Month by the USL League One Technical Committee.