Seattle, WA (SportsNetwork.com) - Seattle Sounders FC have signed head coach Sigi Schmid to a multi-year contract extension after he helped the team to its most successful season in MLS.
Schmid has been in charge of the side since it joined MLS in 2009, and his new deal comes after he guided the Sounders to their first 20-win regular season, which resulted in Seattle claiming the Supporters' Shield.
"I am very excited and happy today to announce we've signed a multi-year deal with Sigi," Sounders general manager Adrian Hanauer said. "Sigi will be around for the foreseeable future. We're very happy to have him as a coach. I've said it many times: not only a fantastic coach, but a fantastic person, great person, in the community and someone I'm proud to call a friend of mine."
The Sounders also captured their fourth U.S. Open Cup title in six years by defeating the Philadelphia Union in the final, although the club came up a bit short in its quest to become the first in MLS to win the treble as they were bounced from the MLS Cup playoffs by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the Western Conference finals.
"It's great to continue to be able to work with this organization," Schmid said. "It's something I'm looking forward and I'm extremely excited about. I still enjoy [coaching]. I still love it. I still like being around the game, I still like being around the players. But more so than anything, the beauty of coaching is: No game is the same, and no year is the same."
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