TUKWILA, Wash. — Tuesday marked the first day of the Seattle Sounders’ 2017 preseason training, and with it the inaugural day of Brian Schmetzer’s first full year in charge of the MLS club.
Now forever embedded in Seattle lore, former assistant coach Schmetzer took over as interim head coach in late July last year when the team was in ninth place in the Western Conference. He then led Seattle to an improbable playoff berth that culminated in the Sounders’ first MLS Cup title and a removal of the interim tag.
So what does the new head coach think of being in charge to start the year?
“It’s a lot more work,” he said, rather lightheartedly. “It’s a lot more work.”
Schmetzer said he’s come into preseason proud of what he and his team accomplished last season, but he’s already thinking ahead. Most of his time in the offseason was spent postulating different ways to get better.
“When I first got the job, halfway through last year, I didn’t have really any time to think,” Schmetzer said. “Now, it’s thinking: How do we get the team back into MLS Cup and give the team a chance to win a second year in a row?”
Schmetzer is pleased with the way his roster is looking so far as Seattle’s youth movement continues and is looking forward to the challenge. Repeating as champions is no easy task in Major League Soccer given the incredible parity and how quickly one or two signings can shift the culture of a team. Nicolas Lodeiro’s concurrent arrival with Schmetzer’s appointment last year is indicative of that.
“We all know that MLS is extremely brutal,” Schmetzer said. “The last two [teams in MLS Cup] before us didn’t even make the playoffs [last season].”
Schmetzer showed a powerpoint to the team Tuesday morning before training featuring slides of people around the organization that new players would need to know. He finished the presentation with clips of Zach Scott, the former veteran defender affectionately known as “Mr. Sounder” who retired following the team’s MLS Cup win in December. Scott then came to the front from the back of the room where no one had known he was standing.
Scott addressed the team and told them to really soak in the moment, that their time as professional athletes is short and to relish the opportunity. Schmetzer knew bringing Scott back in to talk to the team was a simple gesture, but it’s one he thinks can go a long away as he tries to innovate heading into the 2017 season.
“I come into this season trying to improve upon [last year’s MLS Cup title],” Schmetzer said. “So that is our challenge this year. I’m thinking about things differently.”
