RENTON – While the Seattle Sounders will likely remain at least a little short-handed for the foreseeable future, the return of Albert Rusnák to full training on Tuesday should provide at least some relief.
Rusnák sprained his ankle at the final training session before the regular-season opener and missed the Sounders’ first three matchdays. His absence was particularly notable as the Sounders spent much of preseason building an offense with him as the primary playmaker.
“There are still some big pieces missing, but any reinforcement is a positive,” Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer said about Rusnák. “He’s a smart, experienced player that will help us score goals.”
Without Rusnák in the lineup, the Sounders have scored just one goal – a penalty – in two matches. Rusnák’s option was exercised in the offseason, largely under the assumption that he would be able to continue the form he flashed last season after moving into more of attack-oriented position. In nine starts down the stretch as the team’s No. 10, Rusnák had five of his seven goals.
Yeimar also available
Also fully participating in training on Tuesday was Yeimar Goméz Andrade. The centerback has not yet made his 2024 debut after missing most of preseason while completing his green card process and then recovering from an undisclosed medical procedure.
Yeimar was actually available off the bench in Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia Union and Schmetzer had hoped to give him some minutes, but the game ended up being postponed after just five minutes.
Schmetzer said Yeimar would again be available for selection against the Colorado Rapids and even suggested there’s a chance he could start, although it seems far more likely that he’d come off the bench.
“He’ll be rusty,” Schmetzer said. “To make sure expectations are right, he’s not played in a long time. This is his first preseason game. Let’s see how it goes, but he’s a big part of the squad and he and Jackson [Ragen] have played a lot together. They should be able to figure it out. But he as an individual needs to get his feet under him.”
Other updates
- Stefan Frei and João Paulo did not participate in team training on Tuesday, but Schmetzer left the door open for both to potentially return this week. Reed Baker-Whiting and Braudilio Rodrigues are likely a little further behind, while Nathan has yet to return from Brazil where he is getting his green card paperwork finalized.
