CARSON, Calif. – Sigi Schmid is excited for his return to Seattle this weekend, but he’s hoping that his familiarity with CenturyLink Field does not lead to some awkward moments.
“I’m hoping I don’t walk into the wrong locker room,” he said with a smile. “I thought that I might just walk into the wrong locker room as a joke, but I don’t know how that will be received.”
On Sunday, Schmid returns to face the club that he led for seven-and-a-half seasons helping the Sounders to seven postseason appearances, four U.S. Open Cups, and a Supporters’ Shield. During his highly successful tenure with the Sounders, Schmid became the league’s all-time winningest coach.
“It was a special time in Seattle,” Schmid who still has family members in Seattle said. “I thought we established a foundation.”
The Sounders parted ways with Schmid last July before going on a late season run that ended with their first MLS Cup title under head coach Brian Schmetzer who served as Schmid’s head assistant during his time in Seattle.
The two former colleagues faced off for the first time earlier in the year with the Galaxy earning a scoreless draw with Seattle at StubHub Center back in July. Matches between one-time coworkers are always heated, and Schmid expects his return to Rain City will be no different.
“You don’t mind sometimes losing to someone that you don’t know, but you definitely don’t want to lose to someone that you lose to a friend because you hear about it for a long time,” Schmid said of his former assistant. “From that standpoint, Brian is competitive, and I’m competitive. I’ve been around from guys that I coached before and guys that I’ve coached against guys that have coached with me.
“None of us would have gotten this far in soccer without being competitive, so we’re both going into the game to win.”
