Seattle Sounders FC have signed head coach Sigi Schmid to a contract extension. The extension could keep Sigi in charge of the Sounders through the 2015 MLS season. The Sounders front office hired Sigi to his first contract to coach in Seattle on December 16th, 2008. The 58 year old coach helped construct an instant winning team that has proven consistent success over the MLS teams’ young history.
Schmid has guided his current club to MLS playoff berths in their first two seasons. He was the first coach to lead an expansion franchise to the postseason in over a decade. Sigi was also in charge of winning two consecutive Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championships in 2009 and 2010, a feat that hasn’t happened in 28 years. He currently has his team back in the Open Cup semifinals for the third consecutive year under his control, plus the Sounders currently boast the second most points in all of Major League Soccer, and are fighting for their first Supporters Shield.
Aside from his pedigree with the Sounders, Sigi owns many league as well as national honors. He owns the most MLS regular season and playoff wins of all time. Throughout his career he has been named MLS coach of the year twice, NCAA coach of the year in 1997, and was inducted to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1996.
Sigi’s teams have won two MLS Cups, two Supporters Shields, three U.S. Open Cups, and have competed in the CONCACAF Champions League tournament, winning it once in the year 2000.
Away from professional soccer Sigi has twice coached the U.S. U-20 youth national team, coached for 27 years at UCLA, and won three national championships in the process.
When asked about his thoughts about the contract extension this is what Sigi had to say; “Excited. Excited and really happy. I’m proud that the ownership felt it was something they wanted to do. I love Seattle. I love coaching here and I love being here. So to be able to know that I can continue here is tremendous.”
It looks to me as if Sigi will be sticking with Seattle for quite some time. Although his new contract has some club options available to them, and he will be evaluated based on performance to see the contract to its fullest, I have no doubt in my mind the front office has made the winning selection moving forward with their teams’ head coach.
(image courtesy of mlssoccer.com)
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