(Isn’t it time for a “Daily Sigi Schmid” element at ProSoccerTalk? Seem like it …)
The momentum behind a call for change in Seattle may be overwhelming; a club that is peerless in terms of regular attendance has similarly ambitious drive for competitive achievement, and that may ultimately cost Sigi Schmid his job.
But today at Sounder at Heart, there is a solid, fact-backed case for keeping Schmid at least one more year. (That would be his sixth at the club; Schmid is the only manager to have walked the sidelines during the club’s MLS days, which began in 2009.)
Boiling it down here, this piece shows that once emotion can be properly vented, relevant data can and should elbow its way into the conversation. And the writer provides some calm analysis (statistical and observational) that says Schmid’s days at CenturyLink have been far, far from fruitless.
It also helps add some context to Seattle’s high ambition – and why it may not be reasonable.
There is certainly a place where aspiration and zeal for winning must be balanced with reasonable expectation. The Sounders organization has to locate that balance through soul-searching and careful scrutiny of its own upper management moves. Only then can club deciders make the best choice on Schmid’s future with the club.