It was a monumental year in a historic coaching career for Sounders FC Head Coach Sigi Schmid. Not only did he lead Sounders FC to its first-ever Supporters’ Shield—the fifth of his career—but he captured his fifth Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title and finished second in 2014 MLS Coach of the Year voting.
His landmark moment of 2014, however, came in a 2-1 regular season win over the Houston Dynamo on August 10 in front of 50,276 passionate fans at CenturyLink Field. With the result, Schmid became the first Head Coach in MLS history to record 200 career victories.
"I've been coaching for a long time and it's fantastic to finally get it. I was starting to wonder if I was going to get it,” Schmid said after the match, which snapped two-game losing skid. “It's a reflection of a lot of great players who have played for me.”
Six weeks later, he led Sounders FC past the Philadelphia Union in the Open Cup Final. A month after that, he clinched his third career Supporters’ Shield with a 2-0 win over the LA Galaxy, thanks to a pair of goals by late substitute Marco Pappa.
The MLS all-time leader in coaching victories, Schmid finished 2014 with a 207-140-105 career record over 15 seasons. After being eliminated by the Galaxy in the Western Conference Championship, Schmid is as motivated as ever to bring more trophies to the Emerald City. Sounders FC ownership is on board, as well—inking the skipper to a contract extension shortly following the postseason run.
"There's nothing I want to do more than to bring an MLS Cup to this city and to these fans," he said after signing his new deal. "Knowing that I have the opportunity to continue to try and do that is something I'm excited about and I'm really looking forward to."
