When Brian Schmetzer first assumed the “interim” role as Seattle Sounders head coach in 2016, the organization was at a low point. Sigi Schmid had just been fired, the team was languishing near the bottom of the table, and the run of playoff appearances seemed to be all but over.
Still, claiming the title of Sounders head coach — interim or not — was the fulfillment of a longtime goal. Schmetzer had, of course, been a highly successful head coach during the USL days, but he’d mostly been in the background during the organization’s MLS era.