Even before the rumors had gained any real steam, Garth Lagerwey sought to put an end to any speculation that he’s poised to leave the Seattle Sounders and join the Chicago Fire.

Although Lagerwey grew up in the Chicago area and admitted that he’d eventually like to have even more control over a team than he currently has with the Sounders, he also made clear that he’s had no contact with the Fire and has no interest in taking the job of good friend and former mentor Nelson Rodriguez.

“It would be unethical and irresponsible to say anything to further speculation on that front,” Lagerwey said during Wednesday’s end-of-season press conference. “Nelson is a good person, he does a great job there. That’s his thing.

“That said, long-term would I love to run a club? Yeah. I think anyone who accomplishes a lot and is ambitious and wants to continue to grow ... there’s a lot of ways to do that here. It’s not an absolute thing where I have to have a certain job or this description or whatever. We won the second title, we want to win [Concacaf] Champions League,... [if] you do something well you want to do something more so.”

More broadly, Lagerwey has given every indication he’s happy in Seattle and that his family is settled, previously joking about how having his youngest son born in the city gives him a claim for being called a “local.” On Wednesday, he shared anecdotes about how his youngest son recently brought a picture of Jordan Morris to a haircut appointment to request a similar look and that one of his 8-year-old’s prized possessions is a soccer ball signed by Stefan Frei.

“That kind of stuff is really important to us,” Lagerwey said.