Every time Seattle Sounders coach Sigi Schmid is on a Major League Soccer bench he extends his league record for number of games coached.
But when Schmid and the Sounders visit the New York Red Bulls on Sunday, that record clicks over to a nice, round 500 — a total that surprises even Schmid.
“I don’t know that,” he said. “Just means I’ve been around for a while. If I’d have gotten to MLS sooner I probably would have hit it sooner. … It’s great. It’s great that I’ve had a lot of great players. That’s what allows you to stay out here and keep coaching: players who work for you, commit to the effort of the team. I’ve been very blessed having coached a lot of great players.”
Schmid already was a coaching legend at UCLA before his got this first shot in MLS, taking over the Los Angeles Galaxy in 1999.
“My first game with the Galaxy I sat in the stands — but it was my first game, we did the lineup and everything else, and Ralph Perez technically coached the game,” he said. “We won 1-0 against San Jose. Paul Caligiuri scored the goal, which was my one lineup change from their lineup the week before. I pulled (current S2 coach Ezra Hendrickson) off the field, put Paul on the field and he scored the winning goal. And three weeks later I put Ezra back on the field and I never took him out again. Shows you what I knew at the very beginning.”
Schmid stuck around for five seasons, winning an MLS Cup, Supporters Shield, U.S. Open Cup and CONCACAF Champions Cup along the way. He moved on to the Columbus Crew from 2006-2008, winning a Supporters Shield and MLS Cup. Schmid joined the Sounders before their 2009 expansion season and has won four Open Cups and another Supporters Shield.
His 227 regular-season wins also are a league record. But if he is going to increase that wins record on Sunday, his underachieving Sounders are going to have to get past a bunch of Red Bulls who also started slowly but might have turned things around with three straight wins, all by shutout.
“I think the guys are anxious to play,” Schmid said. “… (New York) played really well prior to the break, so it’s going to be a good game.”
The Sounders remain below the Western Conference red line. But they won their last league game, 2-0 at D.C. United on June 1, and they repeated that score in a U.S. Open Cup match over the Kitsap Pumas on Wednesday.
“We have two wins in a row,” midfielder Cristian Roldan said. “We’re back on the road, and we want to be on winning terms. I think with a couple of our guys resting from the last game, it will be good to have fresh legs and go into New York with a great mindset.”
Meanwhile, Schmid, 63, hopes to continue adding games, wins and trophies as long as he’s able.
“They say that when you retire you should do what you enjoy,” he said. “So what I enjoy is coaching, so the way I look at it is I’m in retirement right now, doing what I enjoy. Somebody told me that when he was still working as a stock broker at 74. It always stuck with me. I enjoy it, and as long as they’re willing to have me, I’m willing to do it because I enjoy being around the game.”
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