RENTON – Just as the Seattle Sounders were trending toward better health with the return of several starters last week, head coach Brian Schmetzer revealed on Tuesday that Léo Chú would miss at least 3-5 weeks with a torn knee tendon.
The midfielder’s injury was first announced last week and he missed the 3-2 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes, but the extent of the issue was only now revealed. He will become the seventh Sounders player to miss at least two games this season through injury.
Schmetzer said Chú had been dealing with a level of discomfort for some time and could not pinpoint exactly when the injury occurred.
“It’s a little bit of a pain tolerance issue,” Schmetzer said. “He’s been dealing with some tendinitis in his knee. Now we know why.”
Chú had logged 203 minutes in the Sounders’ first three games, but had not yet factored in a scoring sequence. His .09 expected assists per 90 was just a third of his average last season.
Schmetzer was more optimistic about the return of Obed Vargas, who also missed the Earthquakes game after hitting the back of his head on the turf in Thursday’s training session and being placed in concussion protocol. Schmetzer said he was hopeful Vargas would be cleared in time for the LA Galaxy match on Saturday.
“I believe he’ll make it through, but it’s out of my control,” Schmetzer said. “We take concussions seriously. I’m not going to put him out there and risk him. We’ll go through the protocol.”
Other injury updates
- Although João Paulo was outside working with the ball at his feet, there’s still no timetable for his return from what has been deemed a “chronic” hip issue. “Each time they ramp him up, he has to be pain free,” Schmetzer said.
- After revealing that Reed Baker-Whiting had undergone an MRI last week, Schmetzer clarified that it was done more as a way to chart his progress than concern over any new injury. There is no timetable for his return, either, but Schmetzer said “I don’t remember being told any bad news.”
