Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid poured cold water on rumors that he could be headed to MLS expansion side New York City FC on Thursday, insisting that he wants to stay on in Seattle for next season and beyond.
The rumors first surfaced on Wednesday night during the telecast of the New York Red Bulls-Montreal Impact match at Red Bull Arena, when Red Bulls analyst Shep Messing cited sources saying that not only would Schmid head to the Big Apple in 2016, but that current NYCFC head coach Jason Kreis would take over in Seattle next season.
Schmid laughed off that rumor on Thursday.
“I think it was started by Shep Messing, so I think that’s all you have to say,” Schmid said. “I don’t know. There’s nothing I know about it, so what can I tell you?”
A Sounders spokesman reiterated that sentiment when asked by media on Thursday, declaring “there's no credibility to these rumors."
Kreis, for his part, also shot down the rumor that he was headed to Seattle to reunite with former Real Salt Lake compatriot Garth Lagerwey, now the Sounders’ General Manager and President of Soccer.
“I was watching the game last night and it caught me completely by surprise,” Kreis told the media on Wednesday. “I thought it was an absolutely ludicrous statement and unfounded. I have no knowledge of that information at all.”
Schmid was also asked Thursday about any potential interest in the head coaching job at LAFC, the MLS expansion franchise set to launch in 2018. Schmid still owns a home in Los Angeles and said he’ll likely head down to Southern California to relax during the Sounders’ upcoming bye weekend, but he insisted there’s no interest in leaving Seattle after seven seasons with the club.
“I love it up here in Seattle, and I’m really enjoying myself here and my time here,” he said. “There’s nothing I want to do more than deliver an MLS Cup for the fans here.”
