Sounders FC today announced that Director of Player Personnel Kurt Schmid has departed the team to join the LA Galaxy on the heels of S2's 2017 United Soccer League campaign. Schmid joined the club prior to its inaugural 2009 season and has been a member of the technical staff since the team's MLS launch, holding roles of Assistant Coach and Head Scout before being promoted to Director of Player Personnel prior to the 2017 season. He now moves to Los Angeles to join his father and Galaxy Head Coach Sigi Schmid's staff, who was given control of player personnel responsibilities last month.
"We'd like to express our gratitude to Kurt for nine years of dedicated service to our organization. His analytical approach was vital in building the team that won the club's first MLS Cup," said Sounders FC General Manager & President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey. "In addition to helping us develop a culture of objective, evidence-based decision making, we appreciate his efforts to get S2 on a solid footing as a player development platform. We will miss Kurt, but he is ready for his next challenge."
Reunited with his father - with the elder Schmid helming Sounders FC from 2009 through mid-2016 - Schmid has accepted the role of Director of Player Personnel and Scouting for the Galaxy.
As Sounders FC Director of Player Personnel, Schmid managed all soccer-related aspects of Sounders FC 2, while continuing to scout foreign and college players. His role also included coordinating with agents and players to ensure player eligibility, managing the budget for S2 and assisting with the growth and development of S2 players. An original member of the Sounders FC technical staff, Schmid originally joined the Rave Green in a hybrid role that included both coaching and scouting, particularly for the reserve side, but found a niche in a scouting and developmental role. Schmid graduated from UCLA with a Business-Economics degree and was part of a national-title winning squad in 2002. After graduating, Schmid went directly into coaching, first at the high school and youth levels and then at St. Mary's College. He joined UC Irvine's staff in 2007 for two seasons.
"It's been a pleasure working closely with Kurt over the past nine seasons and I'm proud of his development as a talent evaluator and player personnel professional," said Sounders FC Vice President of Soccer & Sporting Director Chris Henderson. "As a Sounders FC original, we're sad to see him leave, but we wish him every success in his new opportunity with the Galaxy."
After advancing past Vancouver in the Conference Semifinals, Seattle is amidst preparations for its Western Conference Championship matchup with the Houston Dynamo, with the first leg in Houston set for Tuesday, November 21 (6:30 p.m. PT / FS1) and the second leg in Seattle on Thursday, November 30 (7:30 p.m. PT / ESPN). Single-match tickets for the second leg are available via SoundersFC.com/Playoffs and the CenturyLink Field box office.
