Following news Thursday that US Soccer had fired Bob Bradley as head coach, the conversation about who should replace him predictably reached a fever pitch.
One name often thrown into the hat is that of Sounders boss Sigi Schmid. An experienced leader with more than 30 years of coaching experience, his career mirrors that of former national team boss Bruce Arena, who led the US to some success from 1998 to 2006.
So would Schmid consider a coaching offer from US Soccer?
"I think any coach in this country, especially someone who has coached in America for a long time, would have an interest in coaching the national team," Schmid told reporters in a conference call on Thursday. "I think that's going to be a 'yes' answer from any American coach that you ask."
Among American coaches, Schmid—who was born in Germany but moved to the United States as a child—has a standout coaching resume matched only by that of Arena. After boasting a 77 percent win record at UCLA, Schmid earned MLS championships for the LA Galaxy and Columbus Crew before joining the Sounders for their inaugural campaign. In two years with the club, he's yet to miss a playoff campaign and has won consecutive US Open Cup trophies.
However, Schmid stressed that for now he's focused on continuing his success in the Pacific Northwest. Besides, he signed a contract extension on July 14 that looks to keep him at the club through the 2015 season.
"At the end of the day, is it the right thing, is it the right time, where are you coming from and where are you at?" Schmid said. "All that affects that ultimate decision, and all I can tell you is I'm very happy where I'm at. I love the Sounders, I love Seattle and I really like our team."
This weekend Schmid's Sounders face the Houston Dynamo, a club led by another likely candidate, Dominic Kinnear. And with game preparations underway for the weekend tilt, the Seattle boss said he understands the pressure that US Soccer is under to find a replacement soon. The national team is set to play a friendly against Mexico in just two weeks.
"I don't know what US Soccer has going on or what their thought process is, or what they're looking at, because obviously now they've got some games coming up and they need to put somebody in place," Schmid said. "But's that's something they have to worry about. I've got to worry about the Seattle Sounders and our game with Houston on Saturday."
