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Sounders FC Finalizes Technical Staff for 2017 Season

February 28, 2017 - Major League Soccer (MLS) - Seattle Sounders FC News Release


SEATTLE, WASH. - Seattle Sounders FC today announced several technical staff updates ahead of the 2017 Major League Soccer and United Soccer League seasons. Among a number of promotions, longtime employee Chris Henderson is adding the title of Vice President of Soccer to his Sporting Director moniker, while Dave Tenney is now High Performance Director. Former Head Scout Kurt Schmid moves into a new role as Director of Player Personnel, while Chris Cornish has been named Director of Sports Medicine, adding to his Head Athletic Trainer duties. Longtime equipment lead Nolan Myer has also been elevated to Director of Equipment Operations. In addition, John Hutchinson, a 19-year professional who made over 400 appearances in Australia, joins Ezra Hendrickson's S2 staff as Assistant Coach. As the Rave Green continue to establish one of the premier soccer academies in the nation, Chris Little has been named the Academy's Director of Coaching after serving as Head Coach at Elon University for three seasons.

"With the 2017 MLS season beginning this week and the USL campaign just around the corner, we feel like we have made strong personnel additions, while also strengthening our commitment to our existing staff that have enjoyed a lot of success," said Sounders FC General Manager & President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey. "As we continue to foster a club culture of innovation and ambition, having the strongest possible personnel to help us achieve our goals is crucial. Our current staff is helping us set the foundation for future success across the entire organization, from the First Team all the way through our Academy ranks."

Henderson joined Seattle as one of the club's first hires in January 2008 as Sporting Director. In his new role as Vice President of Soccer & Sporting Director, Henderson continues to work with Lagerwey on all areas of Seattle's soccer operations, including scouting, player management, personnel decisions and the club's youth system. An Edmonds native, Henderson is one of the most successful players to come from Washington. He made over 300 MLS appearances from 1996-2006, scoring 51 goals and adding 80 assists after a stellar career at UCLA. The midfielder also recorded 79 caps for the U.S. Men's National Team.

Tenney, one of the most respected figures in sports science, has been an original member of the club's technical staff since 2009. He first served as a Fitness Coach for five seasons after coming over from Sporting KC, where he was a Fitness and Goalkeeper Coach. The George Mason graduate also holds as a Master's degree in Exercise Science-Performance Enhancement from California University of Pennsylvania. With Sounders FC, Tenney implemented the Catapult GPS program that measures player movement in games and practices, as well as the Omegawave technology that tests player's heart rate variability and state of readiness before and after participation.

Schmid is also an original member of the club's technical staff, where he most recently served as Head Scout. In his new position, Schmid is set to manage all soccer-related aspects of Sounders FC 2, while continuing to scout foreign and college players. Schmid originally joined the Rave Green in a hybrid role that included both coaching and scouting, particularly for the reserve side, but found a niche in a scouting and developmental role. As the Director of Player Personnel, Schmid coordinates with agents and players to ensure player eligibility, manages the budget for S2 and assists with the growth and development of S2 players. Schmid graduated from UCLA with a Business-Economics degree and was part of the national-title winning squad in 2002. After graduating, Schmid went directly into coaching, first at the high school and youth levels and then at St. Mary's College. He joined UC Irvine's staff in 2007 for two seasons.

As Director of Sports Medicine and Head Athletic Trainer, Cornish enters his ninth season on the sports medicine staff for the Rave Green. A native of Surrey, England, Cornish received his degree in Sports Therapy from the University of Hertfordshire, where he also served as captain of the soccer team. He worked as a Sports Therapist for Watford's Academy and Kingstonian FC before going to Montana State University Billings, where he earned his Master's degree in Athletic Training while playing two seasons for the Yellowjackets.

Also joining Cornish's staff is Massage Therapist Jake Bronowski, who spent the past seven seasons with Eastern Conference side Chicago Fire. Bronowski is working alongside Lead Assistant Athletic Trainer Paul Lombardo and Assistant Athletic Trainer & Rehab Coordinator Aki Tajima on the Sounders FC medical staff.

Other changes to Brian Schmetzer's First Team support staff include adjustments for longtime equipment lead Nolan Myer, who has been elevated to Director of Equipment Operations. Myer is an original MLS Sounders FC employee, and was named the club's 2013 Major League Soccer Equipment Manager of the Year. Myer's longtime deputy Scott Tranilla has also been promoted to First Team Equipment Manager. Tranilla was previously an Assistant Equipment Manager after joining the club from local side Kitsap Pumas in 2012.

Hutchinson, 37, made his senior debut for the Gippsland Falcons in 1997, where he made 89 appearances for club. From 2001-2004, Hutchinson played for the Northern Spirit, a Sydney-based club, then joined Manly United in 2004 as the club's captain. The final 10 years of his career were spent with the A-League's Central Coast Mariners, where he set a club record with 268 total appearances and scored 18 goals. He now moves to Ezra Hendrickson's S2 coaching staff, replacing Junior Gonzalez as Assistant Coach, with the former Sounder now managing fellow USL side Rio Grande Valley FC.

"We are very pleased to bring John into our technical staff," Hendrickson said. "In addition to his robust professional career as player, his coaching philosophy and leadership qualities fit very well in our organization. I look forward to seeing how he develops our young players and helps them grow on and off the field."

Eligible due to his grandmother's Maltese decent, Hutchinson earned 11 caps for Malta. He made his first appearance in a 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Sweden. During the 2015 season, Hutchinson made a seamless transition to the technical side for the Mariners, where he served as a coach through the 2016 campaign.

Little joins Sounders FC as the Academy Director of Coaching after a highly-regarded stint at Elon University. In his three seasons with the Phoenix, Little led the program to a record of 30-18-9 and an appearance in the 2015 NCAA Tournament. He was named the NSCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 2015. As an assistant at Elon, Little won back-to-back conference titles in 2011 and 2012. Little earned a degree in History from UNC Pembroke in 2000, where he was a standout soccer player. He began coaching at his alma mater in 2001. In his new role with Sounders FC, Little is set to be crucial in player development.

"We have targeted Chris for some time now and are delighted to have finally landed him," Sounders FC Academy Director Marc Nicholls said. "He is an excellent coach and educator, and he adds a whole new dimension to our Academy staff, as we continue to establish ourselves as one of the best youth systems in the country for developing young talent."

Sounders FC's ninth MLS campaign begins on Saturday, March 4 against the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium. The club's home-opener is slated for Sunday, March 19 versus the New York Red Bulls in front of a nationally-televised audience on FS1 at 4:00 p.m. PT. 2017 Season Ticket Memberships, including new seat options in the upper bowl, are still available by calling 877-MLS-GOAL or emailing Sales@SoundersFC.com . Complete information on all Sounders FC ticket packages can be found at SoundersFC.com/Tickets.


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