Crew to add Sigi Schmid to Circle of Honor

Columbus Crew SC announced during the halftime of Saturday’s match against reigning MLS Cup winners Atlanta United that the club will add former head coach Sigi Schmid, who passed away last December, to the club’s Circle of Honor. The ceremony will take place on June 29, at MAPFRE Stadium, during the game against Orlando City SC.

Sigi will be just the third individual inducted to the honorable group, following former players Brian McBride, the first player put in, who started the tradition in 2011, and Frankie Hejduk, who was inducted in 2014. He is the first coach selected by the club.

“Sigi not only won a title in Columbus, but he’s also a founder in Major League Soccer in a lot of different ways,” Crew president Tim Bezbatchenko said. “We want to bring his family, the Crew family and celebrate his life, his legacy and all he did for the club.”

Sigi coached the Crew from 2006 to 2008 and led the franchise to both its only MLS Cup and the Supporters’ Shield trophies during his last season in Columbus. Schmid is the all-time winningest coach in MLS history, with 266 regular-season and postseason victories in 18 seasons. Recently, the league renamed the Coach of the Year award for him.

Schmid’s last work was with the LA Galaxy in 2018, a few months before he passed away, on December 25.