Columbus Crew SC inducted legendary coach Sigi Schmid into their Circle of Honor during a halftime ceremony in Week 17.
The third person recognized for that particular honor in Columbus, the late Schmid won a domestic double with the Crew in 2008. In an MLS coaching career that spanned nearly 20 years, Schmid managed three clubs -- the LA Galaxy (1999-2004, 2017-18), Columbus (2006-08) and the Seattle Sounders (2009-16) -- and won two MLS Cup titles, three Supporters' Shields, five U.S. Open Cups and a Concacaf Champions Cup while becoming the winningest manager in league history. Also a successful college coach at UCLA, Schmid was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2015 and the MLS Coach of the Year award has been named in his honor.
Schmid died on Dec. 25, 2018, and his wife, two of their sons and their families were in attendance for the ceremony, which included a star-studded tribute video to the manager.
Current Crew SC head coach Caleb Porter reflected on the occasion following the match, which the home team lost 2-0 to Orlando City SC at MAPFRE Stadium.
“The guy is a legend. Everyone knows his championships, his wins and winning percentage. But I think the biggest thing is what he did for the growth of the game -- the little stuff: mentoring coaches like myself," Porter explained. "Just a class act and a gentleman who was obviously an inspiration to a lot of people. So he’s sorely missed. It was a nice moment to see Kyle and Kurt [Sigi Schmid’s sons and two of four children] and it was just disappointing that we weren’t able to reward them and the fans with a win.”
