When Garth Lagerwey departed Sounders FC to become the new President & CEO of Atlanta United, Sounders Owner Adrian Hanauer didn’t have to look far for the candidate he felt would be the ideal replacement.
In Sporting Director & Senior VP of Soccer Craig Waibel, a logical fit could already be found within the organization. On Wednesday, the Sounders made the move official, announcing Waibel’s hiring as the club’s new General Manager & Chief Soccer Officer.
Speaking on Wednesday at the Sounders FC Center at Longacres, Waibel described the new role as a dream scenario for someone with lifelong Washington roots. The 47-year-old grew up in Spokane, starred at the University of Washington and made multiple stops with the lower league Sounders during his playing career.
“I truly am humbled,” said Waibel. “I am a Northwest kid. I'm a ridiculously proud University of Washington graduate. You'll see me in UW hoodies at some point, I promise.”
In recent years, the Sounders organization has won a host of trophies and made numerous finals. Since Waibel joined the organization in 2021, the club has already reached a Leagues Cup Final and won the Concacaf Champions League. In 2022, the Tacoma Defiance won the Pacific Division title and reached the MLS NEXT Pro Western Conference Final, while the Sounders Academy U-17’s repeated as Generation adidas Cup champions.
With that in mind, Waibel said he sees his first objective as simply building on a strong foundation already in place rather than trying to embark on a drastic overhaul.
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“Sometimes changes are made because other people get amazing opportunities, not necessarily because something's broken,” said Waibel. “ And I think that's the situation we're in. Garth got an amazing opportunity and it was the right thing for him and his family. So, I don't think there's any glaring holes, personally.
“Now, I'm a little bit biased because I've been part of the project for a year-and-a-half and I acknowledge that, but I don't think drastic change is something we're looking at,” he continued. “We are definitely pursuing a couple of players at the moment to fulfill and fill in the roster spots we think are the most in-need, not only from a depth perspective but for the coaches that have more choices on how to attack an opponent or how to adjust in-game.”
Part of that, Waibel said, will include a continued emphasis on player development and the pathway from the Academy to MLS NEXT Pro affiliate Tacoma Defiance to the First Team. Sounders Academy has started to bear fruit over the last two years, with multiple Homegrown Players like Obed Vargas, Josh Atencio and Danny Leyva emerging as regular First Team contributors.
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Along with the auxiliary moves the club is planning on this offseason to fill out the roster, Waibel said the end goal will be a 2023 season where the club restores its dominant form in MLS. Seattle’s 2022 campaign was marked by the high of the CCL title, but the low of the club’s first-ever league season to end without an appearance in the MLS Cup Playoffs since their 2009 MLS arrival.
“Last year challenged us in many ways,” Waibel said. “And we need to walk back in the door this year and redefine not only to ourselves but to our players that it was an anomaly and we need to get right back to excellence.
“We look at a bigger vision and one of our bigger visions is the integration of some of these young, talented players. …I think we just need to continue in our belief that it will work, that these young men will develop, and we need to give them the opportunities to develop.”
