RENTON, WASH. – Sounders FC today announced that Head Coach Brian Schmetzer has signed a multiyear contract extension. The Seattle native led Sounders FC to a historic 2022 Concacaf Champions Cup title as well as two MLS Cup titles and four Western Conference championships since taking over the club in the summer of 2016, amassing a 126-80-68 regular-season record and a 17-6-3 mark in the MLS Cup Playoffs. This season, he led Seattle to a fourth-place finish in the Western Conference with 57 points (16-9-9), the club’s fifth-highest single-season point total since joining MLS in 2009. On top of leading the league in fewest goals allowed and most shutouts for the second consecutive year, the Rave Green were also the second-best team in MLS over the last 17 matches of the season, compiling 39 points with a 12-2-3 record, second to only 2024 Supporters’ Shield winner Inter Miami CF. Schmetzer continues his tenure with the Sounders that includes leading the USL side from 2002-2008 before serving as the club’s Top Assistant Coach at the MLS level under Sigi Schmid from 2009-2016.
"Brian has been an exceptional leader for this club, guiding us to multiple championships and consistently setting a high standard of success,” said General Manager & Chief Soccer Officer Craig Waibel. “His deep connection to the city of Seattle and our fans makes him such an important figure for this team and community. Brian understands what it means to represent this city on and off the field, and we’re excited to continue building on the foundation he’s established and aim for even greater achievements together."
“I’m thrilled to continue this journey with Sounders FC, a community and club that mean so much to me,” said Schmetzer. “Seattle is my home, and there’s no place I’d rather be working. We’ve built something special here together, and I’m excited to keep pushing for more success alongside our passionate fans, exceptional staff and outstanding players. The work will not stop – we have many goals to achieve and more history to write. Doing it at a club during a time of such great opportunity in the city I love makes it even more meaningful.”
Schmetzer made history as Seattle’s Head Coach in 2022, leading the Rave Green to the Concacaf Champions Cup title, becoming the first and currently only Major League Soccer team to win the continental competition. Schmetzer’s side never lost a match during the tournament, amassing a 4-0-4 record while outscoring its opponents 18-5, including a 3-0 home victory over Pumas UNAM in the second leg of the Final to secure a 5-2 aggregate victory in front of 68,741 fans, the largest crowd ever recorded at Lumen Field. With the extension, Schmetzer will guide the team in its FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ campaign, which the club qualified for with its 2022 Champions Cup victory.
In MLS play, Schmetzer has led Sounders FC to the MLS Cup Final in four of his nine seasons (2016, 2017, 2019, 2020), including a pair of championship wins over Toronto FC in 2016 and 2019. Since Schmetzer took over, Sounders FC’s 126 regular-season wins are more than any other team in MLS, resulting in eight appearances in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, six of which came as a top-two seed in the Western Conference. His 17 postseason wins are third all-time in league history, trailing only Schmid and Bruce Arena, while his postseason winning percentage of .712 is first all-time for all coaches with more than 10 playoff wins. Under Schmetzer’s leadership, Sounders FC is 76-24-36 at home in regular-season play, as well as 12-1-1 in the playoffs at Lumen Field.
One of the Puget Sound soccer community’s most recognizable and respected figures, Schmetzer has played and coached the region’s top professional franchises since 1980. He served seven seasons as the Head Coach of the Sounders’ United Soccer League’s First Division club, accumulating a 100-57-41 record from 2002-2008 before making the jump to MLS. He guided Seattle to two USL-1 championships (2005, 2007), two Commissioner’s Cups for the league’s best record (2002, 2007), six playoff appearances in seven seasons and two Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinal appearances (2007, 2008). He was selected as USL-1 Coach of the Year in 2002 after going 23-4-1.
Prior to his coaching career, Schmetzer spent 15 professional seasons as a player, first signing with the Sounders’ North American Soccer League franchise following his graduation from Seattle’s Nathan Hale High School in 1980. He notably spent seven seasons in the Major Indoor Soccer League from 1984-1991, winning three championships with the San Diego Sockers (1985, 1986, 1988).
Sounders FC enters the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs as the fourth seed in the Western Conference and faces fifth-seeded Houston Dynamo FC in the Round One best-of-three series. The first fixture is slated for Monday, October 28 on the Emerald Queen Casino Pitch at Lumen Field (6:00 p.m. PT / Apple TV – Watch Free, FS1, FOX Deportes, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM), with the second match in Houston on Sunday, November 3 at Shell Energy Stadium (3:30 p.m. PT / Apple TV, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM). If necessary, game three is scheduled for Sunday, November 10 in Seattle (4:00 p.m. PT / Apple TV, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM).
