Sounders part ways with head coach Sigi Schmid

Sigi Schmid is out as the Sounders head coach, the team has announced.

Schmid has been the head coach since the Sounders joined MLS eight years ago. The team said the two sides have agreed to “mutually part ways” in a press release.

Brian Schmetzer, longtime Sounders assistant and former USL Sounders manager, takes over as interim head coach, effective immediately.

The Sounders are in the midst of their least successful season since their inception as an MLS franchise. They are 6-12-2, and they hit rock bottom on Sunday in a 3-0 loss to Sporting Kansas City where they managed just one shot, narrowly avoiding being the first team in MLS history to fail to take a single shot in a match.

“Sigi Schmid has been an invaluable member of Sounders FC since the club’s MLS launch, leading our organization to numerous trophies and a consistent winning culture for seven seasons,” Sounders owner Adrian Hanauer said in the press release. “Sigi departs the club with our utmost respect and gratitude for his years of service. Ultimately the club and Sigi agreed that a change was needed at this time, but Sigi’s legacy will always be a part of our history. He has my sincere appreciation for all that he committed to our team and community.”

Before his dismissal, Schmid, 63, was the longest-tenured coach in the MLS. His 228 regular-season victories is the most in MLS history. He is a two-time MLS Coach of the Year and recently was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. With the Sounders, he compiled a 115-79-56 record in regular-season matches, and under his direction, Seattle has the league’s second-best winning percentage since 2009.

We will have more on this developing story on 710Sports.com.

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