Brian Schmetzer knew that this day was coming eventually, and probably sooner rather than later.
The Seattle Sounders head coach bid farewell to two of his top assistants this week, with news that Gonzalo Pineda has accepted the head coaching position at Atlanta United and Djimi Traore is moving on to pursue an opportunity in Europe. An eventual move for both coaches, as Schmetzer pointed out during his post-training media availability at Starfire Sports Complex on Friday, was an inevitability. Pineda's name had become regularly floated for vacant head coaching positions across MLS and Liga MX, notably this offseason when he interviewed for the D.C. United opening that eventually went to Hernan Losada.
Traore, meanwhile, had established himself as one of the league's most highly regarded assistants in his own right.
"It was tough but we had a pretty long run," Schmetzer said. "Yesterday was a tough day when it really sinks in. But it was a long enough runway for us. We knew [Pineda] was gone [eventually], we knew Djimi was going to get a job. They're too talented of young coaches not to be afforded an opportunity in the future."
Still, the departures are significant and will force Seattle to adjust on the fly as they navigate the rest of their 2021 MLS season. In addition to their tactical prowess and contributions to Seattle's week-to-week game planning, both Pineda and Traore were beloved in the Sounders' locker room, commanding respect by virtue of their decorated playing careers. Pineda was a longtime Liga MX midfielder and Mexican international, while Traore spent much of his playing career in Europe, winning a UEFA Champions League title as a Liverpool defender in 2005.
Both ended their careers with Seattle, where they were considered crucial veteran presences before joining Schmetzer's staff after their respective retirements.
Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan was particularly close with Pineda, as the two were roommates during Roldan's rookie year of 2015, which was also Pineda's final season. Roldan has long credited Pineda with taking him under his wing and teaching him the game's finer points, describing him as his biggest early-career mentor.
"I'm getting chills just hearing that [Pineda has been hired]," Roldan said on Friday. "Because I remember in a preseason game my first year, we were rooming together and had just played my first professional game, a preseason game, we stayed up until 12 o'clock at night re-watching the game and him telling me what I could do better, what aspects of the game I can improve on.
"From that minute, I always thought that he was going to be a head coach one day and really there's no person more deserving than Gonzo. He has put in the work on and off the field, as a player, as a coach, preparing us for games. So I'm happy that he finally gets the opportunity with such a big club. There's no better situation he could be in, so I'm happy for him and his family and I expect him to do extremely well."
Schmetzer echoed the sentiment, saying he expects Pineda to get the proverbial "new coach bump" in much the same way Schmetzer himself did when he took over for Sigi Schmid midway through the 2016 season. Schmetzer famously led the Sounders on a drastic midseason turnaround after initially assuming the job on an interim basis, eventually earning the full-time role and leading Seattle to their first-ever MLS Cup title.
With Atlanta United struggling so far in 2021, Schmetzer said he has no doubt that Pineda's presence and collaboration with current Atlanta interim coach Rob Valentino, who is staying on staff as an assistant, will spearhead the Five Stripes back into Eastern Conference playoff contention.
"He's going to get a new coach bump," Schmetzer said. "In Gonzo's playing career, and it's the same thing with Djimi, they have instant locker room credibility. Gonzo's going to walk in there, and he said it yesterday: Valentino's done a good job.
"Gonzo's going to come in there and just supplement, and he's going to have a new voice and the players are going to respond. You always get a new coach bump when you change coaches midseason. So I would argue that Gonzo is a good enough coach to bring and push Atlanta into the playoffs. If you're looking at 2016 and some similarities, I mean, there you go. Gonzo is a fantastic human being and he's a fantastic coach."
For Seattle, the task now becomes filling the voids on their coaching staff, a process that Schmetzer said is already underway. In the meantime, Schmetzer said he'll lean on his crop of veterans to keep the group afloat as the second half of the season commences. Preki (assistant) and Tom Dutra (goalkeepers) remain on staff as well.
The Sounders are in the semifinals of the ongoing Leagues Cup following their emphatic 3-0 victory over Tigres at Lumen Field on Tuesday and have the biggest game of their season on Sunday with a Cascadia derby at the Portland Timbers (10 pm ET | FS1, FOX Deportes).
"We'll be fine. Look, the guys love Djimi and Gonzo," Schmetzer said. "They love them. And it's a loss. But we'll be fine. I've fielded a lot of phone calls from people interested in the job, so that job's going to get filled pretty quickly. We're going to have more quality people be here helping the team. Cristian, Stef \[Frei\], Nico \[Lodeiro\], Raul \[Ruidiaz\], Yeimar \[Gomez Andrade\], \[Joao Paulo\] – all those guys are pitching in. Those guys have a ton of experience. So the loss is significant, but we're going to be fine."
