By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA – The Seattle Sounders have made it official; they are naming Craig Waibel as their new general manager and Chief Soccer Officer to effectively fill the hole left by Garth Lagerwey’s departure. The move comes as a promotion, as Waibel was previously the clubs Senior Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director. Having spent time with Lagerwey dating back to 2015 and operating as Real Salt Lake’s general manager, Waibel has gained his fair share of executive experience since retiring from his playing career. The Washington state native (attended high school in Spokane and graduated from the University of Washington) now has the task of retooling a Sounders roster looking to return to MLS glory.
Photo from Seattle Sounders FC
Introducing Craig Waibel
Considering that he will be making crucial decisions for the present and future of the club, we should all get some background on Craig Waibel. After his educational career in the state of Washington, Waibel was a Sounder back in 1999-2000, playing for the Seattle Sounders A-League team after going undrafted in the 1999 MLS College Draft. That wasn’t the last time Waibel would don Sounders colors, as he was loaned to the club in 2001 and 2002. From there, the defender made the jump to Major League Soccer, starting an eleven-year career. That over a decade long career filled Waibel’s trophy case, as he won four MLS Cups, a Supporters shield, and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup trophy. His 175 appearances in MLS were split between four clubs: Colorado Rapids, LA Galaxy, San Jose Earthquakes, and Houston Dynamo. His playing career came to an end in 2010 after Waibel was released by Houston.
Following his release by Houston, Waibel would begin his career behind the desk. His journey as an executive started when he was named the assistant coach with the University of Michigan Wolverines, and just a year later jumped to the same position for the Washington Huskies men’s soccer team, his alma matter. In the 2014 season, Waibel made his jump to the professional level, starting out as an assistant coach with Real Salt Lake before being promoted to technical director, and then general manager in 2015. In his tenure as general manager (2015-2019), Real Salt Lake saw three postseason appearances. In April of 2021, the Sounders brought Waibel in as their Sporting director, where he worked alongside former coworker Garth Lagerwey.
Why it makes sense
Considering the experience that Waibel has built since his playing career ended, his previous experience with the Sounders organization, and the time he spent working with Garth Lagerwey, this is a solid move. While it is currently not clear if Waibel is on a specific length contract, the move fills the void left by Lagerwey (even though the title “President of Soccer” seems to remain empty) for the time being in an offseason where the Sounders need to refocus themselves and add to their roster. While there had been pleas for Chris Henderson to return to the club and take the job, Waibel makes sense in the immediate future and is already in tune with the mind of Lagerwey in terms of what sort of player personnel the club aims to bring in. Now the third general manager in Sounders MLS history following Hanauer and Lagerwey, Waibel has work to do to bring this club back to the playoffs and pursue a third MLS Cup title.
The road ahead for the newly appointed man
Waibel is now in the market to not only add talent that will help this club in the immediate future but stock the cupboards so to say with young talent that will be able to fill in when aging players such as Nico Lodeiro either depart or retire. The Sounders are already in the market for a new backup striker after they let Will Bruin walk and don’t seem interested in a return. The development plan for players such as Leo Chu, Danny Leyva, and a host of other youngsters is already being brought forward as a priority. A big help will be returning midfielder Joao Paulo, returning from a season ending injury suffered in the Concacaf Champions League final. Paulo’s return will greatly improve the lineup and allow midfielder Albert Rusnak, a player Waibel was instrumental in bringing to Real Salt Lake and the Sounders, to play his true position.
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