Craig Waibel (born August 21, 1975 in Portland, Oregon) is a former American soccer player who spent eleven seasons in Major League Soccer. He was hired as the sporting director of Seattle Sounders FC in April 2021 and became their general manager in 2022. Playing career Amateur and college Waibel was born in Portland, Oregon, and spent several years in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, before his family moved to Spokane, Washington. There, he played for a youth team that traveled to statewide competitions and later Lewis and Clark High School, where Waibel graduated in 1994. During his senior year at Lewis and Clark, he chose to play college soccer at the University of Washington ahead of several other college programs in the Pacific Northwest. Waibel played for four years with the Washington Huskies and captained them for two seasons as the team made consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. He scored his first collegiate goal from a penalty kick in a 1998 Nike Classic match against the Wisconsin Badgers, which the Huskies won 5–1. In 1996, Waibel was injured playing for the Spokane Shadow in the USISL Premier League, forcing him to miss his junior college season. Despite that setback, Waibel continued to play for the Shadow in 1997 and 1998. Professional Upon graduating, Waibel was not selected in the 1999 MLS College Draft. The Seattle Sounders picked him 17th overall in the 1999 A-League draft. He earned a brief call up to the Colorado Rapids in the early part of the 2000 season, but played 27 matches for the Sounders, scoring three goals. Waibel was selected by the San Jose Earthquakes in the 2001 MLS SuperDraft with the 31st overall pick but then waived a month later. The Los Angeles Galaxy signed him soon after as a discovery player. Waibel was part of the Galaxy's run to win the 2002 MLS Cup, making 12 appearances for the eventual champions. In addition to playing for the Galaxy, Waibel went on loan to the Sounders in both 2001 and 2002. The following year, Waibel was waived by the Galaxy and was selected again by the San Jose Earthquakes in the 2002 Waiver Draft. He won his second straight MLS Cup in 2003, this time with the Quakes. For the 2004 season, Waibel stayed with the Earthquakes and scored his first professional goal, as well as a goal in the 2004 MLS Cup Playoffs. His