Osvaldo Alonso didn’t last too long into Saturday’s game against the Colorado Rapids. During pre-game warm-ups, the menacing midfielder felt something “give” in his quadriceps and less than one minute into the game he was on the turf writhing in pain.
Alonso followed trainers to the sidelines and also followed a recent trend among starting midfielders: injuries.
He joined midfielders Freddie Ljungberg and Brad Evans, who were already ruled out for the game with a migraine and a left knee sprain, respectively.
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Still, the team performed admirably with backups in place, managing to squeeze out a road point.
Injuries have been a problem for the Sounders since the FC Dallas 1-1 draw May 17.
Ljungberg (migraine) and Nathan Sturgis (hamstring) were already ruled out of that game. defender Zach Scott, who was replacing Sturgis left the game in the 17th minute with an abdominal injury.
Then, Evans left the pitch late in the second half with a left knee sprain forcing head coach Sigi Schmid to dig further into the depth chart for replacements.
But things are looking up for the ailing Sounders. Sturgis returned last week and Ljungberg will likely have a good chance of coming back after having a week-and-half to recover from his migraines.
With a left knee sprain, Evans could be a stretch to start this week. It’s not known at this point the seriousness of Alonso’s injury but a routine pulled quadriceps recovery timeline is about two weeks to a month.
Upcoming matches
The Sounders will need all the starters they can muster after Houston pulled within a point of the second place Sounders in the Western Conference.
The Dynamo haven't lost for six straight games. Seattle is set to take them on at home July 11 in what could prove to be a crucial Western Conference showdown.
This week, Seattle has an opportunity to gain some momentum against the faltering champions when they take on the Columbus Crew at home. The Crew sit at the bottom of the Eastern conference with one win but haven’t lost in five straight matches.
Evans’ and Alonso’s recoveries could be crucial two weeks from now when Seattle takes on MLS standings leader Chivas USA in L.A. once again. Last time, Chivas dominated Seattle 2-0. The Sounders will get a chance to welcome Chivas to Seattle Sept. 19.
Reach Aaron Weinberg at nextseasonsports@gmail.com
