Sigi Schmid is going back to his Columbus roots to help solve one of the biggest problems in Seattle.
The Crew and Sounders announced on Thursday that the Sounders have acquired long-standing center back Chad Marshall, who anchored the Crew’s 2008 MLS Cup run with Schmid at the helm.
Columbus will receive an undisclosed amount of allocation money and a third-round pick in the 2015 SuperDraft in the deal.
"Chad is a quality defender who brings experience to the Sounders," Schmid said in a statement. "He is dominant in the air, has won an MLS Cup and been a league Defender of the Year. I look forward to working with Chad again and await his positive contribution to our team."
Marshall, 29, is the Crew's all-time leader in minutes played and a two-time MLS Defender of the Year (2008 and 2009). After he debuted in 2004, Marshall appeared in 253 career games with the Crew, scoring 16 goals.
With goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum out of contract and defender Danny O’Rourke up for the MLS Re-Entry Draft on Thursday, there are no players remaining from the Crew’s 2008 MLS Cup team on the current roster.
“We’d like to thank Chad for his many contributions to the Columbus Crew over the past 10 seasons,” Crew sporting director and head coach Gregg Berhalter said in a statement. “He was a part of some very good teams and contributed significantly to those results.
"Unfortunately in our league in order to get something of value you have to make difficult decisions. This deal gives us significant flexibility to continue building our roster. We feel that this is the perfect time to maximize Chad's value, and by us doing this trade, we have received that and additional resources.”
The Sounders leaned primarily on Djimi Traore and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado at center back last season, when they allowed 42 goals, tops among Western Conference teams who reached the postseason.
After posting a shutout against the Colorado Rapids in the Knockout Round, the Sounders allowed five goals in two matches in their Conference Semifinal series against the Portland Timbers.
Sounders midfielders Brad Evans and Adam Moffat also played for Schmid in Columbus during their MLS Cup run.
