NEW YORK, NY (Nov 11, 2008) MLS -- Major League Soccer today announced that Columbus Crew Head Coach Sigi Schmid was voted the 2008 MLS Coach of the Year after leading his club to a League-best regular season record of 17-7-6, capturing the Supporters’ Shield trophy and first place in the Eastern Conference.
MLS also announced today that San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Darren Huckerby was voted the 2008 MLS Newcomer of the Year. Huckerby scored six goals and assisted on four others in just 14 games after joining the Earthquakes in midseason.
Schmid, now in his third season as Crew head coach, led Columbus to their first Supporters’ Shield and Eastern Conference first-place finish since 2004. The Crew’s 17 wins are the most since 1999 when they finished 19-13 (before the League moved to the current win/loss/tie format). Based on points earned in the standings per game played, the Crew’s 2008 regular season (1.90 ppg) was the fifth most successful in MLS history after the Los Angeles Galaxy in 1998 (2.13), Miami Fusion in 2001 (2.04), San Jose in 2005 (2.00), and Chicago Fire in 2001 (1.96).
Schmid combined the veteran leadership and experience of players like Frankie Hejduk, Visa Defender of the Year Chad Marshall, Alejandro Moreno and 2008 Volkswagen Most Valuable Player finalist Guillermo Barros Schelotto with the young talent of Robbie Rogers, William Hesmer and Brad Evans to produce the finest 30-game regular season in team history. This season marks the first playoff appearance for Schmid as head coach of the Crew. In 2006, his first season with Columbus, Schmid posted an 8-15-9 record and followed up with a 9-11-10 record in 2007.
Schmid is one of the most successful coaches ever in American soccer. He is a three-time NCAA national championship winner with UCLA, an MLS Cup winner in 2002 and a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup winner in 2001 with the Galaxy, and ranks second in MLS history with 113 regular season wins, behind only Bob Bradley (124 wins).
Born Siegfried Schmid in Tuebingin, West Germany, his family relocated to Torrance, Calif., in 1962. Schmid, a four-year starter (1972-75) at UCLA, is a member of the UCLA Hall of Fame and was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1996. This is the second MLS Coach of the Year honor for Schmid. He captured the honor in 1999 as Head Coach of the Galaxy. He becomes only the second two-time recipient of the award; Bob Bradley is the other.
Huckerby becomes the second recipient of the MLS Newcomer of the Year award, introduced last year to recognize the first-year player with previous professional experience (and therefore not eligible for Rookie of the Year) who has made the biggest positive impact on his team.
Huckerby joined the San Jose Earthquakes on July 14 after the club acquired his rights from Toronto FC in exchange for allocation money and an international player slot.
His arrival brought with him an energy that galvanized the team to make a late run at a playoff berth. Although that run fell short in the end, Huckerby’s dynamic and aggressive style of play led the Quakes to a nine-game unbeaten streak.
The Quakes were 3-9-4 before Huckerby’s arrival and finished the season with a 5-4-5 record after he joined the team. Prior to his arrival in San Jose, Huckerby played in more than 200 matches and scored 32 goals for the Norwich City Canaries between 2003 and 2008. He is a two-time Norwich City player of the year and was named to Norwich City’s all-time Best XI. In his professional soccer career, which spans back to 1993, he appeared in matches for Lincoln City, Newcastle United, Millwall, Coventry City, Leeds United, and Nottingham Forest.
The MLS Coach of the Year and the Newcomer of the Year winners earned the most votes in polling of MLS players, general managers, coaches, and members of the media.
MLS Coach of the Year Winners
2008: Sigi Schmid – Columbus Crew
2007: Preki – Chivas USA
2006: Bob Bradley – Chivas USA
2005: Dominic Kinnear – San Jose Earthquakes
2004: Greg Andrulis – Columbus Crew
2003: Dave Sarachan – Chicago Fire
2002: Steve Nicol – New England Revolution
2001: Frank Yallop – San Jose Earthquakes
2000: Bob Gansler – Kansas City Wizards
1999: Sigi Schmid – Los Angeles Galaxy
1998: Bob Bradley – Chicago Fire
1997: Bruce Arena – D.C. United
1996: Thomas Rongen – Tampa Bay Mutiny
MLS Newcomer of the Year Winners
2008: Darren Huckerby – San Jose Earthquakes
2007: Luciano Emilio – D.C. United
Courtesy of MLS Communications
