Sigi Schmid has some decisions to make. Finally.
With midfielders Erik Friberg and Andreas Ivanschitz healthy again after battling injuries in recent weeks, the Seattle Sounders’ midfield is back at full strength for the team’s matchup at FC Dallas on Saturday (6 p.m. PT; Q13 FOX/KIRO 97.3 FM/El Rey 1360 AM).
“It makes it more difficult [to choose lineups], but that’s a good thing,” Schmid following the team’s training session in Frisco on Friday. “As you get more options, guys know they have to perform. So there’s a little bit of competition there as well. Certainly having options, especially playing here in the warm weather, gives us the ability to make some changes and keep the level of the team high.”
Friberg returned to the starting lineup last week for the first time since suffering a knee injury on March 12, while Ivanschitz came off the bench after missing a game with a thigh injury suffered on April 23 against Colorado.
If Ivanschitz slots back into the lineup it could mean Aaron Kovar will lose his spot, depending on how Schmid deploys Clint Dempsey.
Either way, the Sounders head into Saturday’s matchup on the heels of two consecutive wins at home and more momentum than they’ve had all season. They’re still in search of their first road win of the season, however, and face a Dallas team that knocked them out of the postseason last fall.
“We’ve got to test ourselves on the road,” said captain Brad Evans. “Championship teams are good on the road, and if we want to be that championship team with that quality, we’ve got to start picking up points on the road. And it starts tomorrow night.”
