Schmid Is Back for More
Sigi Schmid, who was unexpectedly fired as coach of the Galaxy on Aug. 16 after almost six predominantly successful seasons in Major League Soccer, Friday was named coach of the United States under-20 national team.
It will be Schmid’s second tour with the under-20s. He coached the team in 1998-99, taking it to the second round of the FIFA World Youth Championship in Nigeria.
“I’m excited about it because last time I was really happy with the group I had, with [Carlos] Bocanegra, [Steve] Cherundolo, [Taylor] Twellman, [Chris] Albright, [Tim] Howard, people like that,” Schmid said Friday at the Home Depot Center, where his new team will compete Jan. 12-16 in the CONCACAF qualifying tournament for the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands.
The Americans, who play Costa Rica, Panama and either Cuba or Trinidad and Tobago in the qualifying event, will have a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Nov. 15-22, followed by a more intense camp at the Home Depot Center Dec. 12-23.
Schmid, 51, takes over the under-20 post from Thomas Rongen, who on Sept. 23 became coach of Chivas USA, one of two expansion teams in MLS next season.
Under Rongen, the under-20s reached the quarterfinals of the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates in December. Schmid and Rongen had breakfast together Friday to talk about the transition.
Among the players Schmid inherits are six from MLS -- Freddy Adu, Eddie Gaven, Danny Zetela, Arturo Alvarez, Guillermo Gonzalez and Craig Capano -- and two from overseas -- Manchester United defender Jonathan Spector and goalkeeper Quentin Westberg from Troyes in France.
“I’ve really got to trust the decisions that have been made before me and maybe bring in a bigger pool than normal for that December camp and then pare it down,” Schmid said.
“Offensively, with Gaven and Adu, there’s already a good start there. ... Jonathan Spector, if we can get him away from Manchester United, is a very important player in this group.”
Schmid also will call in a number of top college players, likely to include Chad Barrett and Brandon Owens from UCLA, where Schmid coached for 19 years.
“It’s a great choice,” Rongen said of Schmid’s appointment by Bob Contiguglia, the president of U.S. Soccer.
“Sigi’s been part of our soccer fabric for many years. He has knowledge of this age group, he has coached at the college level, which is where half of this team will come from.... He’s also familiar with MLS, which is where eight or nine players will come from.”
