SEATTLE -- Coming off their best season, the Seattle Sounders signed Sigi Schmid to a multi-year contract on Thursday, keeping around the only coach in franchise history.
General manager Adrian Hanauer announced Schmid's new deal during an end-of-season news conference. The Sounders were eliminated from the MLS Cup playoffs last Sunday by Los Angeles.
"Sigi will be around for the foreseeable future. We're very happy to have him as a coach," Hanauer said.
Terms of the deal were not released.
Schmid joined Seattle before its inaugural 2009 season and has led the team to three U.S. Open Cup titles and this year's Supporters' Shield as the best team in the regular season. Schmid won MLS Cup titles with Los Angeles in 2002 and Columbus in 2008. The Supporters' Shield title with Seattle was the third time leading a team to that honor.
Last offseason there was debate about whether Schmid would return in 2014 after a late-season collapse by the Sounders. Schmid stayed and Seattle responded by being the best regular season team in the MLS.
"I was happy to come here when I came here in 2009 and I haven't regretted a moment that I've been here," Schmid said. "I'm sure sometime the fans have but I haven't regretted a moment."
Schmid, 61, coached previously at UCLA and has been a U.S. national team coach for the younger divisions in his coaching career. Schmid has not decided how much longer he wants to coach.
"There's nothing I want to do more than bring an MLS Cup to this city and these fans," Schmid said. "Knowing I have the opportunity to continue to do that is something I'm excited about and I'm looking forward to."
Hanauer also announced that it's "highly, highly likely" defender DeAndre Yedlin will obtain a work permit in England and expects him to join Tottenham later in December. Yedlin signed a four-year deal with Tottenham in August, with the agreement that Yedlin would remain with the Sounders through the completion of the 2014 season.
Yedlin burst onto the international scene with his performance for the United States during the World Cup. At 21 years old, his speed as a defender on the outside or a midfielder immediately drew attention from clubs around the world. Yedlin was linked to numerous teams before finally settling on Tottenham.
"He's going to continue to grow, continue to improve and we wish him nothing but the best as he moves forward to Tottenham," Schmid said. "He's a player who is attentive and committed and that's the reason he's been successful."
Seattle defender Zach Scott will undergo offseason foot surgery and is contemplating retirement. Scott is 34 and has been with various incarnations of the Sounders since 2002.
Goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann has indicated his plans to retire. Hahnemann, 42, played in England for more than a decade before returning to the Sounders in 2012.