On Saturday, the two winningest coaches in MLS history, Bruce Arena (LA Galaxy) and Sigi Schmid (Seattle Sounders FC) square off at CenturyLink Field (3 p.m. ET, ESPN/Deportes).
With a combined seven MLS Cup titles, 423 regular season wins (479 including postseason games), and four Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championships to their credit, both coaches understand how to get the best out of their players. Both coaches have won MLS Cup with the LA Galaxy and the pair are the only coaches in MLS history to win MLS Cup with more than one team:
Bruce Arena: D.C. United (1996, 1997), LA Galaxy (2011, 2012, 2014)
Sigi Schmid: LA Galaxy (2002), Columbus Crew (2008)
While Arena, now in his 14th season coaching MLS teams, has collected more MLS Cup titles, Schmid, in his 17th MLS season coaching, has earned more wins (253 compared to Arena’s 226). Arena takes on Schmid this weekend riding a four-game undefeated streak against the Sounders’ coach and owning a 10-7-7 all-time regular season record against Schmid’s teams.
An always loud crowd is expected to witness the two star-studded squads face off on Saturday, as the Galaxy seem to be firing on all cylinders. Galaxy midfielder Steven Gerrard looks for a continued strong performance after registering two assists in last week’s win over Vancouver. His seven assists on the season rank third in MLS. Fellow midfielder Giovani dos Santos, meanwhile, is one of only two players to rank in the top 10 in both goals (seven) and assists (five) on the season. While Seattle has had a rough front half of the season, going 5-9-2 in league play, a bright spot for the Sounders has been the play of rookie forward Jordan Morris who leads rookies this season with six goals to his credit.
Bruce Arena
- Five MLS Cup titles (D.C. United, 1996, 1997; LA Galaxy, 2011, 2012, 2013)
- 196 Regular Season wins, 30 Postseason wins
- Three Supporters’ Shield titles (D.C. United, 1997; LA Galaxy, 2010, 2011)
- OneU.S. Open Cup title (D.C. United, 1996)
- Five NCAA championships (University of Virginia)
- Arena vs. Seattle Sounders FC: 8-4-6 (regular season)
- includes time with New York Red Bulls and LA Galaxy
- Arena vs. Sigi Schmid: 10-7-7 regular season (4-3-0 postseason)
Sigi Schmid
- Two MLS Cup titles (LA Galaxy, 2002; Columbus Crew SC, 2008)
- 227 Regular season wins, 26 Postseason wins
- Five U.S. Open Cup titles (LA Galaxy, 2001; Seattle Sounders FC, 2001, 2009, 2010, 2014)
- Three Supporters’ Shield titles (LA Galaxy, 2002; Columbus Crew SC, 2008; Seattle Sounders FC, 2014)
- Three NCAA championships (UCLA)
- Schmid vs. LA Galaxy: 7-9-8 (regular season)
- includes time with Columbus Crew and Seattle Sounders FC
- Schmid vs. Bruce Arena: 7-10-7 regular season (3-4-0 postseason)
