SEATTLE, WASH. – Sounders FC today announced the hiring of Adam Owen in a dual role of High Performance Director & Technical Advisor. Owen brings 15 years of experience as a fitness coach, assistant manager and manager to Seattle, where he now oversees sports science and performance programs for the club across all levels of the organization, while also advising the club on technical matters.
“We are very happy to bring in Adam Owen, who comes to Seattle with a glittering resume after years of coaching in Europe,” said Sounders FC General Manager & President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey. “We think he can make us better with the versatile skillset he brings to the club.”
After serving as the Head of Performance at Rangers FC of the Scottish Premier League from 2007-2013, Owen accepted a dual role of Assistant Manager and Performance Director with English side Sheffield United for the 2013-2014 campaign. He then joined the staff at Swiss club Servette FC from 2014-2017 and Polish side Lechia Gdańsk from 2017-2018, both in the same dual role. Two months into his time at Lechia Gdańsk, Owen was promoted to Head Coach, where he served the rest of the season. Following his time in Poland, Owen joined as an Assistant Coach with Hebei China Fortune FC of the Chinese Superleague, where he spent two seasons before coming to Seattle.
“I’m very excited to come to Seattle and join a championship club like Sounders FC,” said Owen. “After working for a number of clubs across Europe in my career, I’m looking forward to bringing my experience to Coach Schmetzer’s staff and helping Sounders players develop at all levels.”
Owen served on the Wales National Team management staff from 2009-2018 as the Men’s National Team Sport Science & Fitness Coach under Brian Flynn, Gary Speed, Chris Coleman and Ryan Giggs. He also holds a PhD in Sport and Exercise Science from Lyon.1 Claude Bernard University in France, in addition to a UEFA Professional Coaching License.
“Adam is a welcome addition to our coaching staff and I look forward to consulting his versatile expertise,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “We are already seeing the benefits he brings to the club and look forward to more once the Orlando tournament begins.”
Prior to his coaching career, he enjoyed a decade of playing experience in Wales and Scotland, including his hometown club of Wrexham, where he began his coaching career while still playing. He also spent time as a fitness coach and youth coach for Celtic and Sheffield Wednesday before accepting his post at Rangers, where he gained coaching experience in the UEFA Champions League and helped the Scottish giants to an appearance in the 2008 UEFA Cup Final.
“Adam has a great track record in leading club performance departments and has a coaching background, holding a EUFA Pro A License,” said Sounders FC Vice President of Soccer & Sporting Director Chris Henderson. “We are looking forward to adding him to our experienced staff as we get back to play in 2020.”
Major League Soccer announced the league's plan to restart the 2020 season with all 26 MLS clubs competing in the MLS is Back Tournament at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida beginning July 8. The tournament, which is being played without fans in attendance, provides a compelling way for MLS to resume its 25th season. Group stage matches count in the MLS regular season standings and the tournament winner will earn a spot in the 2021 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League.
During today's MLS is Back Tournament Group Draw, Sounders FC was selected into Group B alongside Western Conference clubs FC Dallas, Vancouver Whitecaps FC and the San Jose Earthquakes. The 26 MLS teams were drawn into one of six groups, with the Eastern Conference having three groups, one consisting of six teams and two consisting of four teams each. The Western Conference has three groups, each consisting of four teams. As 2019 MLS Cup champion, Seattle was given the top seed in Group B, alongside fellow Western Conference top seeds Real Salt Lake (Group D) and Los Angeles FC (Group F).
