Freddy Juarez Announced As Seattle Sounders Assistant Coach

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Former Real Salt Lake manager Freddy Juarez has been announced as an assistant coach to Brian Schmetzer at the Seattle Sounders.

Juarez Joins Seattle

Juarez joins a list of former RSL employees in Seattle including former RSL General Managers Garth Lagerway and Craig Waibel.

Juarez shocked the MLS world late last week when he abruptly quit as manager of Real Salt Lake, despite the club currently being above the playoff line and having an incredibly strong roster.

Welcome to the club, Freddy! 💚💙

Former RSL Head Coach Freddy Juarez joins Sounders FC as Assistant Coach.

📝 https://t.co/ZPhUXrteuD pic.twitter.com/lrvqzSqCJr

— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) September 1, 2021

The job at RSL had been a long time in the making for Juarez who had been at the club for over a decade and had worked in a number of different roles.

Nonetheless, Juarez was in the final year of his contract and ultimately felt that it was in his best interest to take a job below his (then) current job title in an effort to secure better job security.

The Final Numbers

In the 55 games managed by Juarez, he won 18, lost 14, and drew 23 for a winning percentage of 45.5.

Shortly after the news broke, Sounders manager Schmetzer was asked about the rumors surrounding Juarez to Seattle. He did not confirm nor deny whether there was any truth to them at the time but did admit that both he and Juarez had a friendship that went back many years and that Juarez was a talented coach.

Fast-forward six days and here we are, the news that Juarez is now on the Sounders coaching staff under Schmetzer is official. Sounders Twitter profile also admitted that Juarez had made multiple phone calls to Schmetzer over the years specifically asking how to create a “great culture.”

Remarkably, Real Salt Lake will host the Seattle Sounders on September 18 at Rio Tinto Stadium. Juarez will return against a team that he once managed. The theatre is expected to be brilliant.