TUKWILA, Wash. – The Seattle Sounders were back at training on a beautiful Thursday afternoon at Starfire Spots after a midweek break on Wednesday, but forward Nelson Valdez was spotted jogging around the field with trainers while the rest of the squad participated in a full 11 v. 11 scrimmage.
Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid said Valdez picked up the unspecified injury during training earlier this week. It's unclear if Valdez will play when the Sounders take on the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston on Sunday (1 p.m. PT; ESPN/KIRO 97.3 FM/EL Rey 1360AM).
“He’s doing alright; it’s nothing we see as anything long-term or serious but right now it’s still bothersome to him,” Schmid told reporters after training. “This Sunday is maybe too early, we’ll know more tomorrow.”
Added Schmid: “When he jumped he landed and he just felt a little bit of something, but it’s nothing extreme.”
Valdez, 32, has started all four of the team's MLS games this season and logged 317 minutes, sixth most on the team.
Ivanschitz Discusses Dempsey’s Role Reversal
In Saturday’s match against Montreal Impact, fans may have noticed that midfielder Andreas Ivanschitz and forward Clint Dempsey switched roles to begin the match. Dempsey dropped back into the midfield drifting in between the left and middle, while Ivanschitz moved up into the left wing.
While this may have come as a surprise to fans that are used to seeing Dempsey up top, Ivanschitz noted that it wasn’t as unusual as it might have seemed.
“In the games before, we always switched positions,” Ivanschitz said on Thursday. “Sometimes, he was on the left wing and I was the second striker, so we just started different but in general it’s the same.”
When asked about how the team is feeling after getting their first win and looking ahead to this weekend, Ivanschitz was cautiously optimistic. “I think step by step we are playing better together,” he said. “Especially now this weekend it will be important how we defend as a team, how we organize ourselves, and be crucial when we have the ball and in the final third.”
