Joey Worthen was named Florida Atlantic University's head men's soccer coach in February of 2017. Approaching his sixth season, Worthen assumed the helm of one of FAU's oldest programs and is just the fifth head coach in what will be the program’s 43rd season. The team will be competing in the American Athletic Conference for the first season coming in 2022.

In the spring of 2022, four-year All-Conference player Alonso Coello Camarero signed with Toronto FC, becoming the second ever FAU men’s soccer player to sign with an MLS team and first since 2006. Worthen was instrumental in the Coello Camarero’s development from freshman to senior year.

Worthen has turned around the men’s soccer program in a short amount of time. He is coming off back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2003-04 with a 9-7-3 mark. The Owls also began the 2021 season with a 3-0 record, which marked the program’s best start since 1996. The team continued to realize uncharted territory, as the sixth-seeded Owls made their way to the C-USA Championship title game. Worthen’s Owls defeated tournament-host Charlotte with a 5-3 edge in penalty kicks in the opening round. In the semifinals, the Owls made national headlines by upsetting the defending College Cup Champions in No. 4 Marshall, 3-1, to earn a spot in the title game against No. 15 Kentucky.

The Owls saw five players recognized to the All-Conference USA Team for the second straight year. The All-C-USA Team was highlighted by Second Team choices Coello Camarero and Filip Jauk, Third Team selections Tom Abrahamsson and Ivan Mykhailenko, as well as All-Freshman picks Jauk and Davide Romeo. Coello Camarero and Mykhailenko were also the Owls’ first United Soccer Coaches All-Region Team selections since 2009. Goalkeeper Neil Strauber finished the year as the conference leader in total saves (81), which was the eighth best in the country, and Mykhailenko led the way with game-winning goals (5), 10th most in the country.

Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the regularly scheduled fall campaign was pushed to the spring. In the spring 2021, Worthen led the team to a 6-4-2 record, marking the first winning season since 2007. His team finished fifth in the conference with nine points and a program’s best No. 52 finish in the RPI. The 2021 spring team held opponents to 11 goals and a 0.92 goals against average, both becoming school records. FAU did not shy away from competing against some of the best in the country, including four ranked opponents, four NCAA Tournament participants and the eventual 2020 College Cup Champions, Marshall.

At the end of the 2021 spring season, five of Worthen’s players were honored by the conference with postseason accolades. Mykhailenko earned a spot on the C-USA First Team, while Coello Camarero and Graeme Pratt became Second Team choices, Daniel Skistad earned Third Team honors and Vasilis Spinos was chosen to the All-Freshman Team. Mykhailenko won the Co-Golden Boot Award after tying for the most goals in the conference with five. Under Worthen’s leadership, Mykhailenko became the first Owl to win that award and went down in the FAU record book for having the fourth most goals (22) and game-winning goals (6), as well as eighth most points (47) in school history.

Prior to Worthen’s inception at FAU, the Owls had not been recognized with a Player of the Week award since 2013. During the 2021 season, Worthen’s program was recognized with a Player of the Week selection three times. Goalkeeper Neil Strauber won Defensive Player of the Week following a 4-0 shutout over Jacksonville (NCAA Tournament Team) and Mykhailenko received the award twice after multi-goal matches in wins over South Carolina and UAB.

The Owls also earned national recognition after Strauber received the United Soccer Coaches Player of the Week following a 1-0 shutout at Old Dominion. Strauber was the first Owl in school history to win the big award.

During the 2019 season, FAU qualified for the C-USA Tournament for the first time since joining the league in 2013. It was also the program’s first conference tournament appearance since 2008. The Owls clinched their ticket after a comeback victory over Old Dominion in overtime, 4-3, while knocking off the Monarchs for the first time in program history.

FAU finished the season with a 7-8-1 record (3-4 C-USA), marking the most overall wins since 2013 and most conference victories while belonging in C-USA. The Owls knocked off two ranked opponents, including in a 1-0 shutout victory over No. 17 James Madison in the season’s home opener and a 1-0 overtime feat vs. C-USA foe No. 15 Marshall.

Worthen saw four Owls make conference postseason teams in 2019. Midfielder Coello Camarero became the Owls’ first C-USA First Team selection after an impressive sophomore year campaign. Mykhailenko and Alex Alexis earned C-USA Second Team honors. Mykhailenko finished the season third in goals and fourth in points per game in a competitive conference, while also being named C-USA Offensive Player of the Week after a 5-point performance in the Owls’ 3-1 win over Florida Gulf Coast. Alexis’ 0.5 assists per game ranked as the second most in C-USA and ninth in the NCAA. Defender Abrahamsson also earned postseason honors after an impressive rookie campaign, making a spot on the Third Team and All-Freshman Team.

Goalkeeper Hagay Jalon was also critical to the Owls’ success in 2019. The senior earned C-USA Defensive Player of the Week honors twice during the season, becoming Worthen’s first weekly winner since taking the helm, as well as first for the Owls since 2013. Jalon also was named CoSIDA Third Team Academic All-American, becoming the first Owl in program history to do so.

Worthen’s second year with the Owls in 2018 saw goalkeeper Jalon put together a strong season, leading C-USA with 76 saves and a 5.07 saves per game average. Freshman Coello Camarero also put together a strong campaign with his debut earning him C-USA All-Conference Third Team and All-Freshmen honors. 

In Worthen’s first season, he coached Ferdinand Solberg to a C-USA All-Freshmen Team nod and Christian Williams was named to the C-USA All-Academic Team. The Owls ended the 2017 season in an exciting fashion with a 2-1 overtime win against Marshall. 

Worthen has put a big emphasis on academics during his time at FAU. He has seen seven C-USA All-Academic recipients, six CoSIDA All-District recipients, a United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-Region Team member and a CoSIDA Academic All-American.

Worthen came to FAU from the University of South Carolina where he was a part of the Gamecock staff since 2012. Over his five seasons on staff, the Gamecocks posted a 39-33-6 record. His tenure was highlighted by a trip to the C-USA Championship final in 2014. The team also hosted back-to-back NCAA Tournament first round games, and made an appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2015 and 2016.

In his time at South Carolina, Worthen recruited and coached 22 C-USA All-Conference honorees, one Freshman All-American and nine players who went on to earn pro contracts. Classroom excellence was also a primary focus, as the squad earned a 3.0 or above GPA each of the five seasons he was at Carolina, including the nation's highest GPA in 2012-13. The work was not left to the classroom and the field. As a team, Gamecock soccer dedicated 500 hours of community service in 2016.

Prior to his fulltime position as an assistant coach at South Carolina, Worthen served one season as a student assistant for the Gamecocks (2011-12). Before his return, he was a volunteer assistant coach at Huston-Tillotson University, a NAIA institution in Austin, Texas, while playing his final professional soccer season in 2010-11. While playing professionally, Worthen used his offseason to give back to the community and begin his coaching résumé, serving as an assistant coach at Cottonwood High School in Salt Lake City, a role he undertook each year from 2002-10. Worthen has held a United States Soccer Federation National B license since 2011.

Worthen played professional soccer for nine seasons. He began his career playing two seasons for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds (2002-03), and was named the 2002 Rookie of the Year after leading the team in starts, minutes played and assists. He played two seasons as well for the Richmond Kickers (2004-05), including advancing to the 2005 USL Championship game. He moved to Real Salt Lake of the MLS for the 2006 season, and went on to play for the NASL Carolina Railhawks expansion team in the 2007 and 2008 seasons. He then returned to the Kickers, where he helped the squad capture the 2009 USL Championship title, and finished out his career with the Austin Aztex in 2010.

Prior to turning pro, Worthen was a letterwinner and starter for the Gamecocks from 1998-2001 and served as team captain during his senior season. He was named the Independent Rookie of the Year in 1998, while he helped lead the team to the NCAA Tournament in 1998, 2000 and 2001. In his career, South Carolina posted 50 victories, while individually, Worthen scored 25 goals and collected 15 assists for 65 points. He also scored 12 game-winners for Carolina. In 1999, Worthen represented the United States in international play on the U-20 team.

Originally from Salt Lake City, Worthen obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in 2013 with a concentration in retail/small business management from South Carolina. He also received his Master of Science degree in sports management from South Carolina in May of 2017. He and his wife Natalie have four children: Slade, Naomi, Simonne and Mila.

Worthen's FAU Coaching File

13 All-C-USA Team recipients

Seven C-USA Player of the Week awards

Seven C-USA All-Academic Team members

Six All-C-USA Freshman honorees

Six CoSIDA All-District Team selections

Five C-USA Preseason Team selections

Three wins over top-20 opponents

Two United Soccer Coaches All-District choices

Win over No. 4, defending 2020 College Cup Champion, Marshall

One CoSIDA Academic All-American (Third Team)