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Crew Juniors Coaching StaffSigi Schmid
Over the course of a 31-year career, the 54-year-old Schmid has enjoyed enormous success at the collegiate, professional and international levels. Schmid's 87 wins entering this season ranked second all-time in MLS history and his .548 winning percentage ranked seventh. Unfortunately, Schmid's eagerly anticipated first season in Columbus did not go as planned, as the club suffered through an improbable string of injuries and finished 8-15-9. In all, the Crew lost a remarkable 240 man-games to injury in 2006 - an average of 7.5 per game. But by the end of the year, it had provided a tantalizing glimpse of the future, closing with a 4-4-1 flourish in its final nine games, during which it scored 43 percent of its goals. In parts of six MLS seasons (1999-2004) before coming to Columbus, Schmid led the Los Angeles Galaxy to every major club trophy contested in the United States - MLS Cup 2002, 2002 MLS Supporters' Shield, 2001 U.S. Open Cup and 2000 CONCACAF Champions' Cup - and was named the 1999 MLS Coach of the Year. Under his guidance, L.A. also advanced to two additional MLS Cup finals (1999 and 2001) and captured three regular-season conference championships (1999, 2001 and 2002), while compiling a 79-53-32 regular season record and a 16-7-3 mark in the playoffs. The Galaxy qualified for the playoffs in each of the five seasons Schmid completed and reached the semifinal stage of the U.S. Open Cup in his final three (2001-03). Ironically, he was relieved of his duties in L.A. in August 2004 while the team was in first place in the Western Conference and owned the league's best record and the team went on to qualify for the playoffs once again. Most recently, he completed his second stint as head coach with the U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team, during which he guided the squad to an 11th-place finish 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in Holland, including a group play win over eventual world-champion Argentina. Prior to becoming the Galaxy's coach six games into the 1999 season, Schmid was recognized as one of the most successful collegiate coaches of all time. During a 19-year tenure at UCLA (1980-99), he compiled an impressive 322-63-33 (.810) record while leading the school to 16 consecutive postseason appearances (1983-98), including three NCAA championships (1985, 1990 and 1997). He was previously a Bruins assistant in 1977 and 1979. Schmid helped groom a number of UCLA players to success at the highest levels of soccer in the world, with numerous Bruins alumni going on to play for the full U.S. Men's National Team and in the professional ranks in the U.S. and overseas. Brad Friedel, Paul Caligiuri, Cobi Jones, Carlos Bocanegra, Crew defender Frankie Hejduk and Crew assistant coach Mike Lapper are just a few of the UCLA players Schmid helped develop during his tenure. In his first stint with the U.S. Under-20s (1998-99), Schmid led it to the Round of 16 and an eventual 12th-place finish at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship in Nigeria, highlighted by a 1-0 win over England. Over the two-year span, Schmid compiled a 32-16-15 overall record with the U-20s. Schmid had already served U.S. Soccer in numerous coaching capacities before taking over the U-20 MNT head coaching duties, including as an assistant on Bora Multinovic's 1994 FIFA World Cup coaching staff. He also served in the early 1990s as a U.S. "B" Team coach and guided teams at the 1991 World University Games and 1995 Pan American Games. Schmid has made his mark on American soccer history, not only as a coach, but also as a player. He had a successful career at UCLA as a four-year starter in the midfield from 1972-75 and is a member of the UCLA Hall of Fame. In 1996, he was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame as one of the first members of the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO). A Certified Public Accountant, Schmid graduated from UCLA in 1976 with a B.S. degree in economics before going on to earn his M.A. in Business Administration from the University of Southern California. Born Siegfried Schmid in Tuebingen, West Germany, on March 20, 1953, he moved with his family to Torrance, Calif., in 1962. He has a wife, Valerie, and four children, Erik, Lacey, Kurt and Kyle. |
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Sigi Schmid, one of the most highly respected and decorated coaches in America, is in his second season at the Crew's helm. He was named the fourth head coach in club history on Oct. 20, 2005.
