Seattle Coaching Staff Takes Shape

Having successfully locked up Sigi Schmid as their first-ever head coach, Seattle Sounders FC is quickly moving through the process of rounding out their coaching staff, naming Brian Schmetzer the top assistant and Tom Dutra the goalkeeping coach within the past seven days.

Schmetzer, 46, joins the expansion club following a seven-year stint as head coach of the USL incarnation of the Sounders, during which time he led the club to six playoff appearances and two championships. In each of the past two seasons, Schmetzer also steered the Sounders into the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup competition, knocking off Chivas USA and the Colorado Rapids in ’07 and besting the Kansas City Wizards and Chivas again in ’08. He was also considered a contender for the vacant head coaching position before Schmid left the Columbus Crew to take the job.

“Having been born and raised in Seattle, and having lived most of my life here, I love this city and I couldn’t have scripted a more perfect career path,” said Schmetzer. “I feel lucky, first to have been chosen to coach the USL Sounders, then to be considered along with Sigi and some other outstanding candidates for the MLS head coaching job. Now, I’m working with a great coach in Sigi, in my home city for what is rapidly becoming the best club in the business. It seems everything is falling into place.”

Dutra, 36, served under Schmetzer with the Sounders for two seasons and has also conducted 1-on-1 training sessions with incoming Sounders FC keeper Kasey Keller since 2002 to help prepare the netminder for his return to Europe each year. A native of Olympia, Dutra played four seasons in the A-League, including a stint backing up Marcus Hahnemann during the Sounders championship season in 1996.

“It’s a massive honor to be part of the first staff for Sounders FC,” said Dutra. “It’s also a privilege to work with such quality coaches and people like Sigi and Brian, not to mention our management, Adrian [Hanauer] and Chris [Henderson].”