TUKWILA, Wash. – Clint Dempsey is expected to be ready to play when the Seattle Sounders return to action this weekend following his appearance in the AT&T MLS All-Star Game on Thursday night in San Jose.
Dempsey came off the bench and logged the final 27 minutes of the All-Stars’ 2-1 loss to Arsenal at Avaya Stadium, and is expected to train with the Sounders on Saturday before suiting up against the LA Galaxy at CenturyLink Field on Sunday (1 p.m.; ESPN/KIRO 97.3 FM/El Rey 1360AM).
Forward Jordan Morris trained with the Sounders on Friday after appearing in the MLS Homegrown Game on Wednesday in San Jose and is also expected to be ready to play on Sunday.
It’s unclear, however, how many minutes the Sounders can expect from freshly minted Designated Player Nico Lodeiro, who trained with the team for the first time on Thursday. He will be eligible to play against the Galaxy and he said shortly after his arrival earlier this week he was fit, but interim head coach Brian Schmetzer has not revealed his plans for using Lodeiro on Sunday
“He’s really good,” Schmetzer said Friday. “Really smart, good vision, good passing. And he wants to be here. We’ve spoken on a couple different occasions, and he wants to be in Seattle. So that, to me, is a very, very good sign that positive things are going to happen when he’s here.”
It’s also unclear what role midfielder Alvaro Fernandez will play after signing with the club on Thursday, and midfielder Erik Friberg is questionable with an ankle injury suffered last week suffered against Sporting Kansas City.
Galaxy star Steven Gerrard, meanwhile, is expected to return to the lineup against the Sounders after missing the team’s win over the Portland Timbers last week with an undisclosed injury.
