Somewhere along the line, Sigi Schmid got a reputation for coaching unattractive soccer.
However, he also has a reputation for winning championships, and that led to Seattle Sounders FC naming Schmid as its first coach.
“Sigi understands Major League Soccer perhaps better than anybody on the planet, and clearly this is a huge benefit as we move forward,” Sounders general manager Adrian Hanauer said in an introductory press conference Tuesday at Qwest Field. “So, not to put undo pressure on Sigi, but as our partner Joe Roth said eloquently, ‘Sigi’s the only coach to win MLS championships with two different MLS teams; we plan on being the third.’ ”
Schmid won the MLS Cup (league championship) in 2002 with the Los Angeles Galaxy, and he won it again a month ago with the Columbus Crew.
Schmid, voted 2008 MLS coach of the year, also won three Supporters Shields (best regular-season record) – two with Los Angeles and last season with Columbus. And before moving to MLS, he won three NCAA championships at UCLA.
However, winning wasn’t enough in Los Angeles, where the Galaxy fired him in 2004 despite the team residing in first place. Part of the explanation was an unattractive style of soccer that didn’t grab L.A. fans who had come to expect not only championships, but showtime.
“When that rap was put on me, we were the highest scoring team in the league,” Schmid said. “Last year at Columbus, we were the second-highest scoring team in the league. We were the team that had the best goal differential in the league between goals scored and goals against. My philosophy has always been that you have to be a multi-faceted, attacking team. … You don’t win without defending. But for me, you have to defend well because if you want to play offense, you’ve got to get the ball.”
Wins – attractive or otherwise – have been rare for recent MLS expansion teams. The past four – Chivas, Salt Lake, Toronto and San Jose – all debuted at the bottom of the standings.
Schmid hopes the Sounders can be an exception.
“We want to try and win games right at the beginning,” he said. “We also have to be realistic. We have to understand that we are an expansion team. Certainly, players play a lot better together once they’ve gotten 20, 30 games under their belt than when they’re first getting to know each other. … So that’s going to take a period of time of growth.
“But in terms of effort, in terms of the work rate that we put out in each game, the enthusiasm that we play with, that’s something I want there right from the beginning. And I think we’re going to be competitive in every game that we step on the field.”
The Sounders have 14 players under contract, including former U.S. national team goalkeeper Kasey Keller of Lacey, former English Premier League star midfielder Freddie Ljungberg and former United Soccer Leagues first division MVP forward Sebastien Le Toux. Along with 10 players acquired last month in the MLS expansion draft, Schmid said he may have more to work with than he did when he took over at Columbus three seasons ago.
That first Crew squad went 8-15-9. His second improved to 9-11-10. His third went 17-7-6 while earning the cup and the shield and coach of the year honors for Schmid.
However, when the Crew’s first contract extension offers were judged insufficient, Schmid decided to look around.
Seattle appealed to him because of its West Coast location and because his younger brother lives there. And the Sounders say Schmid appealed to them not only because of the championships, but also the way he deals with players and builds teams.
After an international search and serious conversations with a half-dozen candidates, the Sounders had their man and a deal was struck.
“I know without a doubt I’ve made the right decision to come here,” Schmid said. “To be the first coach of this franchise, in my visit up here to see what this club is doing behind the scenes: the organization, the structure, the commitment to the community and the commitment to the sport of soccer is beyond what’s happening anywhere in this entire country.”
Don Ruiz: 253-597-8808
blogs.thenewstribune.com/soccer
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