Seattle Sounders coach Sigi Schmid, who grew up in Torrance and still has a Manhattan Beach house, was named to the National Soccer Hall of Fame (Photo courtesy Seattle Sounders).
Kasey Keller, Sigi Schmid & Glenn “Mooch” Myernick elected to National Soccer Hall of Fame. http://t.co/4w5GmcvU0O pic.twitter.com/SBxalEAsca
— U.S. Soccer (@ussoccer) April 8, 2015
Schmid: “I am honored to be inducted alongside Kasey Keller, who is a Seattle soccer icon. It sort of makes it a Sounders’ class.”
— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) April 8, 2015
With all due respect to Tim Howard, but Kasey Keller remains the greatest goalkeeper ever to play for the U.S. national team while South Bay favorite son Sigi Schmid, who moved to Torrance at age 10 from his native Germany, is the greatest U.S. coach never to have assumed the helm of the national team.
It’s typical of Schmid though to say that his accomplishments pale in comparison to the lasting friendships he has made through the sport:
“It’s a reflection of your peers acknowledging what you’ve done, and it’s a reflection of the body of your work, so this is something I am very proud of,” Schmid said of his hall of fame induction. ““The biggest thing for me has been the players I have had the privilege coaching and the players that have become friends; the relationships and friendships that have existed beyond coaching players — now that for me is the biggest reward. That is bigger than the trophies or any of the awards, just knowing that you have been meaningful in someone’s life.”
For more on this year’s inductees into the National Soccer Hall of Fame, click here.
Hopefully, Schmid will receive a round of applause from the StubHub Center crowd when the Sounders visit Carson to play the Galaxy this weekend.
