For the first time in six years, Seattle Sounders minority owner Adrian Hanauer will not be serving in a dual role as his club’s general manager.
But from the sound of it, that doesn’t mean he’ll be working fewer hours.
With Seattle’s announcement on Tuesday that they have hired former Real Salt Lake general manager Garth Lagerwey as general manager and president of soccer, Hanauer will cede control over personnel moves and roster decisions to Lagerwey, one of the most respected front-office minds in the league and one of the architects of RSL’s transformation from MLS doormat to powerhouse.
"I always said that if the best general manager was available, I would hire that person to replace me,” Hanauer said in the team’s initial announcement of the hiring on Tuesday. “I believe that Garth is that man."
But Lagerwey’s hiring does not mean that Hanauer’s involvement with the team is diminishing. Instead, Hanauer will now allocate the majority of his time to the business side of the operation, focusing on expanding the Sounders brand and defining the future direction of the club as opposed to controlling personnel moves.
Hanauer further discussed Lagerwey’s hiring and his changing role in a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, confirming that Hanauer's objectives are now centered on continuing to build on the success of his Seattle team that boasts one of the largest media markets and fan bases in the country.
“Really, it’s about continuing to build our fanbase, continuing to build our revenues overall … and just genuinely trying to be a little bit more strategic and look out five, 10, 20 years,” Hanauer said.
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Fans wanting to see the Sounders move from CenturyLink Field into their own stadium probably should not get their hopes up just yet.
Hanauer addressed the rumors that the Sounders could be getting their own field, and it does not appear the team has plans on moving from CenturyLink anytime soon.
“We’re very happy at CenturyLink.,” Hanauer said. “We’ve got a bunch of years left on our lease. We’re in constant communication with our landlord and our partner in Paul Allen, who owns 25 percent of the team. I’ve seen a bunch of rumors out there about possible stadiums. They're certainly free to dream. Every sports franchise on the planet wants their own building and their own stadium. But sometimes that’s more realistic and sometimes not.”
