From 2009 to 2016, Schmid led the Sounders to seven playoff appearances, four Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup titles, and an MLS Supporters' Shield in 2014.

[14] The Bruins won the 1990 national championship by defeating Rutgers 4–3 on penalty kicks after a scoreless regulation, two sessions of overtime, and another two periods of sudden death.

[16] The team continued to thrive in the following season, part of their success coming from Schmid's decision to move Cobi Jones from a midfield position to forward.

[20] The writer also applauded Schmid's decision to move the team's leading striker into a midfield position which led to the player scoring the winning goal.

In January 1993, he was selected as an assistant to Bora Milutinović for the 1994 FIFA World Cup,[22][23] during which five of Schmid's UCLA players appeared for the national team.

The team achieved second place in their group during the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship, defeating England and Cameroon, but were eliminated by the eventual champions Spain in the opening knockout round.

[27] Schmid left UCLA to replace Octavio Zambrano as head coach of the Los Angeles Galaxy five games into the 1999 MLS season.

[29] The team's captain, Robin Fraser, gave credit to Schmid's emphasis on defense after being named the MLS defender of the year.

[33][34] Schmid was forced to play an atypical squad since the final was held during the MLS off-season while adjustments to the following season's lineup were being made.

[36] The squad included experienced players such as Cobi Jones, Sasha Victorine, Luis Hernández, Simon Elliott, and Mauricio Cienfuegos.

[42] Amidst criticism for failing to win in previous years, the franchise won its first MLS Cup with a 1–0 overtime victory against New England.

[51] General manager Doug Hamilton said that the team had a mission "to compete for and win championships", and that "a more entertaining and attractive product on the field."

[57] The team suffered from injuries and inconsistent lineups throughout the season, finishing last in the Eastern Conference with just 30 goals, the lowest in the league.

[58][59] By the start of 2007, Schmid had rebuilt the roster, keeping only three players he had inherited and acquiring Argentine attacker Guillermo Barros Schelotto.

[55] A writer for ESPN speculated that the Crew suffered because the team management would not spend more money, while Schmid lamented that he could not attract a foreign star to the little-known city of Columbus.

Although some fans had become frustrated with what they saw as tactical inflexibility and mismanagement of players, general manager Adrian Hanauer praised Schmid's professionalism and success.

[77][78] The Sounders went on to finish the regular season with the second-best record in the league at 18 wins, 7 losses, 9 draws, and qualified for the playoffs for a third consecutive year.

The team finished the regular season with a 15–8–11 record to make the playoffs where they advanced past Real Salt Lake to reach the conference championship series against the Galaxy.

After advancing through the early stages of the 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League the year prior, Seattle lost in the semifinals to Santos Laguna.

[84] Consequently, Schmid met with a core group of players represented by Osvaldo Alonso, Clint Dempsey, and Brad Evans.

Starting striker Eddie Johnson was later traded while a new central defender, winger, midfielder, goalkeeper, and depth at the forward position were brought in.

After a 3–0 loss on July 24 to Sporting Kansas City, in which the Sounders had only one shot,[86] Schmid left the club on mutual terms and was replaced by assistant coach Brian Schmetzer.

[89] Under Onalfo, the Galaxy had lost half of their 20 matches and were on a five-match losing streak in mid-July, missing several key players to injuries.

[91][92] Schmid was given greater powers related to player personnel decisions by the Galaxy, similar to that of Arena's tenure and replacing roles served by general manager Pete Vagenas, and looked to enter the 2018 season with a "winning" roster.

[98] The Galaxy then slipped and lost four matches in a row, several by a single goal, but recovered and embarked on a nine-match unbeaten streak that lasted until August.

[105] Kyle played as a defender at UC Irvine and was in the USL Premier Development League with Orange County Blue Star.

[108][109] After leaving the Galaxy in September 2018, Schmid stated that he planned to join another MLS club's front office or write a book.

[110] Schmid was hospitalized several times during his later career, including once for a bout of pneumonia in 2009 and again for an undisclosed issue in 2015 that required him to miss a regular season match with the Sounders.

He was hospitalized on December 10, 2018, in Los Angeles and placed in intensive care at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center while awaiting a heart transplant.

[115] Schmid has been described as one of the two "godfathers" of American soccer, alongside long-time rival Bruce Arena, with connections to the coaching and technical staffs across MLS.