Sounders FC Head Coach Sigi Schmid isn’t putting any timelines on the return from injury of several key players ahead of the first leg of the Western Conference Semifinals against FC Dallas on Sunday, including versatile captain Brad Evans.
Schmid said Friday that a number of the club’s injured players will be a gametime decision when the two teams clash for the second-straight postseason at CenturyLink Field (6:30 p.m. PT; FOX Sports 1, KIRO Radio 97.3 FM, El Rey 1360 AM).
Evans went down with a hamstring injury in the waning moments of the Sounders’ Knockout Round win over the LA Galaxy on Wednesday night, and was set to have an MRI performed on Thursday.
Schmid did not discuss the severity of the Evans injury or the specifics surrounding the potential return of midfielder Osvaldo Alonso, who missed the Galaxy matchup with a groin injury.
“All of our injury situations are sort of a day-to-day type of thing,” Schmid said. “At this point of the year, in the playoffs, you can’t really look at timelines. Guys are gonna say, ‘Yeah, I’m ready to go,’ or, ‘I’m not ready to go.’”
Evans appeared in 28 games for the Sounders during the regular season, the second-highest total of his nine-year MLS career (he appeared in 29 games for Seattle in 2013). He shifted between five different positions this season, including an impressive emergency shift at leftback against LA on Wednesday
“I wish he would have made one less run forward,” Schmid quipped, “and maybe then he wouldn’t have pulled up at the end.”
Only a handful of players trained outdoors on Friday after the entire team was given a day off on Thursday. The only two starters who trained outdoors Friday were midfielders Erik Friberg and Andy Rose, but midfielder Marco Pappa trained fully, meaning he’s likely to return Sunday after skipping the LA match midweek with an injury.
His return should boost a Sounders lineup against Dallas, who posted the best record in the Western Conference during the regular season on the backs of playmaker Mauro Diaz and speedy striker Fabian Castillo.
“They’re a team that likes to play on the counterattack, and they’ve got very fast wingers,” Schmid said. “They don’t mind absorbing pressure and being able to get out on the counter.”
