Here to stay! Sounders extend contract of head coach Brian Schmetzer

SEATTLE — He's synonymous with the game in Seattle and he's once again being rewarded for it.

Brian Schmetzer, the Seattle native who led the Sounders to a pair of MLS Cup Championships and a prestigious CONCACAF Champions League Cup, is staying with the club on a new multi-year contract extension.

The Sounders announced the deal Thursday morning.

"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."

“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."

While Schmetzer's body of work since 2016 speaks for itself regarding his long-term future in Seattle, he's done quite a bit to garner accolades this season.

There was a stretch early in the 2024 season where the Sounders hadn't won a match, finally breaking through when the calendar turned to April. Yet, he turned that into a fourth-place finish in the Western Conference and a home playoff match to start the MLS Cup chase in 2024.

Schmetzer orchestrated that turnaround when plenty of new contributors like Paul Rothrock and in the absence of former mainstays like Nico Lodeiro.

The point is, Schmetzer always finds a way with this club.

Now, as the Sounders look to make a magical playoff run in their 50th anniversary, they do so with their coach's future secure. A future locked and ready for a playoff run.

The 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs begin for the Sounders on Monday, a 6 p.m. kickoff with the Houston Dynamo. That's Game 1 of a best-of-three series which will see Game 2 in Houston on November 3 and, if necessary, a Game 3 here in Seattle on November 10.