Sigi Schmid

2025 Nominee: Coaches Category

Sounders FC’s first Head Coach of the MLS era (2009-2016), Schmid brought class and pedigree to the Rave Green, ushering in unprecedented success for an expansion side in American sports. He led the club to five major trophies: four Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup titles (2009, 2010, 2011, 2014) and the 2014 Supporters’ Shield.

Schmid amassed a 115-79-56 MLS regular-season record with Sounders FC, including seven-consecutive postseason appearances (2009-2015). No other expansion team in any American sport started its existence with a multi-year playoff streak in this fashion. He ranks second in MLS history with 240 career regular-season wins and was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2015.

Following his death in 2018, Major League Soccer renamed its annual honor for the top coach in the league: the Sigi Schmid Coach of the Year Award.