Just one game after he returned to play about 15 minutes off the bench, Pedro de la Vega was left at home when the Seattle Sounders traveled to St. Louis City on Saturday. Although he appeared on the injury list as “questionable” with a hamstring injury, the Sounders had given no other indication that their Young Designated Player would miss the game prior to the lineup being released.
Shortly after the lineup came out, the Sounders released a statement calling his absence part of the “return-to-play progression” and that he was “purposefully rotated.”
After their 2-1 win over St. Louis City that moved them into a Western Conference playoff spot for the first time this year, head coach Brian Schmetzer gave an update on de la Vega ahead of next Wednesday’s home match against Real Salt Lake.
“We’re just going to see what he’s like for Wednesday,” Schmetzer said. “We elected to go with home games. He’s game-to-game. We’re going to get him out there as quickly and safely as possible.”
Since joining the Sounders on a reported $7 million transfer fee this offseason, de la Vega has suffered a series of hamstring injuries that have limited him to just one start, three appearances and about 100 minutes of playing time. His appearance against the Whitecaps marked an end to an 11-week absence.
