Alan Hinton, who knows British nobility and the history of Seattle’s soccer culture well, laid bare the stakes of Brian Schmetzer’s appointment as interim Sounders coach in July.
The Englishman signed Schmetzer to his first professional contract in 1980 when he was coaching the NASL Sounders. Hinton observed from afar as the Seattle native played a part in nearly every team of consequence that cycled through the region: semi-pro FC Seattle, the indoor Tacoma Stars and Seattle SeaDogs, the minor-league Sounders that preceded the MLS version.
One can trace the history of Seattle soccer through Schmetzer’s personal career arc.