Coaches

Brian Schmetzer
Men's Head Coach

Schmetzer enters his fifth season as the Sounders head coach guiding the team to back-to-back league finals appearances and the 2005 USL First Division Championship. In his first season as the Sounders head coach, Schmetzer led the club to a 23-4-1 record and earned 2002 Coach of the Year honors. A graduate of Nathan Hale High School, Schmetzer was signed out of high school at age 17 by the North American Soccer League Seattle Sounders in 1980. Schmetzer played three seasons in Seattle and another with the Tulsa Roughnecks before the league (N.A.S.L.) folded in 1984.

He played indoor for a majority of his career where Schmetzer won three championships in four years with the San Diego Sockers of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL). In 1988 Schmetzer returned to Washington and played for the Tacoma Stars along with his twin brothers, Andy and Walter. Schmetzer served as a player / assistant coach, then full time assistant coach under Fernando Clavijo with the Seattle Seadogs, who won the 1997 Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL) Championship.

Schmetzer has a 68-34-26 overall record in his four-year tenure as the Sounders head coach; winning the 2002 USL First Division Regular Season Title, 2003 Pacific Division Championship, 2004 Western Conference Championship and the 2005 USL First Division Championship. Schmetzer is a USSF "A" License coach.

Coach Schmetzer's family includes daughter Daniela, a sophomore at the University of Washington; and two boys, Colin and Kian who attend Blanchet High school.

Bernardo Ruiz
Men's Assistant Coach

Born in Mexico City, Mexico, Ruiz played for the Mexican National Soccer Academy until the age of 11. He was one of 11 players to play for the U.N.A.M. farm team that would make three trips in consecutive years to the Mexican National Tournament. In high school Ruiz led his team to a regional championship in 1989, the same year he was selected as the league's MVP. After high school, Ruiz was a part of the pool for the Mexican National Youth Team in 1990. Ruiz played professional soccer with the U.N.A.M. Pumas, a 1st Division team in the Mexican League, where he won a national title with the Pumas reserve team in 1991. Ruiz moved to the Seattle area when he attended the University of Washington, and has coached several local teams including; Emerald City F.C.'s Premiere team since 1999, District ODP in 2000 and coached a regional all-stars team on a European tour of Sweden, Denmark and Holland in 2001. Last year, Ruiz became the Club Trainer for Emerald City F.C. and continues to work with that club. Ruiz serves as a Bilingual Classified Administrator for the Seattle Public Schools Student Support Services.

Darren Sawatzky
Men's Assistant Coach

The Sounders second all-time leading goal scorer, Darren Sawatzky rejoins the Seattle Sounders as an Assistant Coach. His Sounders career was highlighted by his 2000 season in which he earned the team MVP award, USL First Division First Team Honors and tying for third in the USL First Division scoring title.

Sawatzky played ten years of professional soccer, four of them with the Sounders. He has also played for the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer (MLS), the Dallas Burn (MLS), the Colorado Rapids (MLS), the Oregon Surge (USL), Leicester City (England), the Hershey Wildcats (USL) and the Portland Timbers (USL).

He graduated from Jefferson High School in Federal Way and went on to play collegiate soccer for the University of Portland appearing in three NCAA Tournaments. In 1992 Sawatzky led Portland to the West Coast Conference Championship and was an All-WCC selection and WCC Scholar Athlete.

Sawatzky retired as a player in 2004 and has most recently worked as an assistant coach at the University of Washington, head coach at Thomas Jefferson High School and Director of Coaching for the Highline Soccer Club. Sawatzky lives in Seattle with his kids Kylie and Skyler.

Tom Dutra
Men's Goalkeeper Coach

Dutra played professionally with the Sounders in 1996 and has coached at Pacific Lutheran University and St. Martin's University. In 1991 he graduated from Timberline High School and followed a professional career that took him to Salem, Oregon, New Orleans, Louisiana and Philadelphia Pennsylvania.