Wade Webber, former USL-era Seattle Sounders player, named Tacoma Defiance head coach

The Seattle Sounders have named Wade Webber the head coach of their USL affiliate, the Tacoma Defiance, the club announced Friday.

The 54-year old Webber, a Federal Way native who played for the Sounders in the 1990s when they still had USL status, has been an assistant coach for the Defiance the last three years.

As the club’s new head coach, he replaces Chris Little, who was hired earlier Friday by the Colorado Rapids as an assistant coach.

“First off, I’d like to thank Chris Little for his service to the organization,” Sounders General Manager Garth Lagerwey said in a prepared statement. “He has been critical in helping overhaul our development pipeline and I’m thrilled for him to get this opportunity in Colorado.

“We are excited to elevate Wade Webber, who has worked side-by-side with Chris and the rest of our staff for the past five years,” Lagerwey continued. “It’s always a privilege to be able to promote from within and reward people instrumental to our success with new opportunities.”

Webber, who becomes the fourth head coach in the history of the Tacoma Defiance/Sounders FC 2, joined the club as an assistant coach in 2018. He’s helped seven USL players sign First Team contracts, including five Homegrown players.

Webber played professional soccer as a defender from 1986-99, including three years with the USL-era Seattle Sounders (1994-96). He made 53 MLS appearances for Dalllas and Miami from 1997-99.

Webber attended the University of Portland (1985-88) and led the Pilots to the NCAA FInal Four as a senior. He won three straight state championships at Federal Way’s Thomas Jefferson High School.

A radio analyst for Sounders FC broadcasts since 2012, Webber has also coached youth soccer extensively in Western Washington. He coached in the Sounders FC Academy from 2016-17.

“I am thankful to have had the opportunity to work with Chris Little and (former Tacoma Defiance head coach) John Hutchison and learned tremendously from both of them,” Webber said in the press release. “They both made a significant impact on the club. I also appreciate and am humbled by the responsibility given to me by the Sounders to continue working with the promising young talent in our developmental system. We are at an exciting time both in Seattle and the United States when so many young players are demonstrating they can make an impact at the Major League Soccer level.

“We will not rest in our efforts to help our players improve so they can continue to help the first team in their pursuit of championships.”

Added Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer: “Wade’s connection to the Sounders goes back over 20 years, first as a player, then as a broadcaster and more recently as a coach within our current organization. It’s always nice to be able to give an opportunity to one of our own, and I look forward to working with Wade further.”

Little had a 12-29-9 record in two seasons as the head coach of the Defiance.

Sounders FC U-17 head coach Mike Morris and Sounders FC Academy /USL goalkeeper coach Josh Ford are also joining the Defiance staff in full-time assistant coaching roles.