The Seattle Sounders FC placed forward Jarrod Smith on the injured reserve because of a hip flexor injury. It looks as if Smith will miss the first six regular season games, but it is possible he will return as early as May.
Smith is a New Zealand native, who is in his sophomore season with the MLS. He was a consensus All-American from West Virginia University where he had 32 career goals and set the Big East single season conference records for goals (12) and total points (28) as a senior.
The Sounders selected him in the MLS expansion draft in November of last year and last season he played 20 games with the Toronto FC. He had a respectable rookie season and started in six games for Toronto where he scored two goals and played 814 minutes.
The loss of Smith will have take a toll on the Sounders’ offense, as he is one of only four forwards listed on the official Sounders roster. (The other forwards are Nate Jaqua, Sebastien Le Toux and Steve Zakuani)
However, with Smith out for the first six games, this should give the Sounders top prospect Fredy Montero plenty of playing time. The young Colombian forward has been tearing up the preseason exhibition games. He has been commanding the Sounders offense so far with his scoring and precision passing.
Montero is known for his attacking skills and deadly scoring ability. He has been named one of the keys to the Sounders’ future success and now, with Smith injured, will have his time to shine sooner rather than later.
As previously posted, Montero has expressed interest to play soccer in Europe, so success in the MLS could mean he won’t be on the Sounder roster for long. Nevertheless, it looks like the Sounder faithful and the rest of the MLS nation will soon get a chance to watch this young phenom.
Reach Michael Camden at nextseasonsports@gmail.com
