The LA Galaxy have added Kurt Schmid to the technical staff as the team’s Director of Player Personnel and Scouting, the club announced today. Kurt joins the Galaxy from Seattle Sounders FC, where he served on staff since 2009 as an Assistant Coach, Head Scout and Director of Player Personnel.
In his role with the LA Galaxy, Kurt Schmid will work directly in all soccer-related aspects of the LA Galaxy and LA Galaxy II, specifically in scouting and identifying talent at the collegiate, national and international level. In addition to scouting and identifying talent, he will work closely with the Galaxy technical staff in areas regarding player evaluation, interacting with agents and facilitating MLS communication and CBA compliance.
Schmid joined Seattle Sounders FC in 2009 as an assistant coach and scout, a position he would serve in for seven seasons. During that time, he helped the Sounders to four U.S. Open Cups (2009, 2010, 2011, 2014) and one Supporters’ Shield (2014) before being named Head Scout in 2016. Immediately following Seattle’s 2016 MLS Cup win, he was promoted to Director of Player Personnel. In Seattle, Schmid was part of a technical staff that qualified for MLS Cup Playoffs in each season of his tenure.
Prior to his time in Seattle, he worked at Saint Mary’s College as an Assistant Coach before assuming the same position at UC Irvine in 2007-08. While with UC Irvine, Schmid was a part of a staff that won Big West Conference championships during both the regular season and tournament in addition to earning an NCAA tournament berth, marking UC Irvine’s first time achieving those feats.
He was a member of the Region IV ODP boys’ coaching staff for two years and also coached at West Coast FC. Previously, he was a coach for South Bay Soccer Club and began his coaching career at South High School in Torrance, California.
Schmid played soccer at Wake Forest and UCLA, representing the Bruins’ 2002 side that earned an NCAA Championship. He graduated from UCLA with a degree in Business-Economics.
