RENTON — After playing just five minutes in the Seattle Sounders’ past two games — and maybe even partly because of it — Pedro de la Vega is now at least in consideration for starters’ minutes.
“The last two games I haven’t been able to use him as much as I liked, but this game I’ll use him,” Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer told reporters following Thursday’s training session at Longacres. “He can start. He’ll be on a minutes restrictions, but he’s in the conversation.”
Since signing as a Young Designated Player this past offseason, de la Vega has been limited to just one start and five appearances. His only previous start came on March 2, coincidentally against Austin FC, who the Sounders play on Saturday. The Argentine had some promising moments in that game but was forced out of the match after 62 minutes with a hamstring injury.
As it turned out, de la Vega wouldn’t play again until May 18, when he suffered another hamstring injury that kept him out until June 29. But he’s now played in two straight league games and has been training in full for the better part of a month, apparently giving Schmetzer and the training staff some confidence that he may finally be past his hamstring issues.
Léo Chú will be available
When Léo Chú was pulled at halftime of the Sounders’ last home game against the New England Revolution, he didn’t join his teammates on the bench until the 70th minute or so. After he didn’t travel with the team for the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals, there was some conjecture that it could be disciplinary.
Whatever the reason, Schmetzer said it’s over.
“There is no situation, he’s coming to Austin,” Schmetzer said.
Potential rotation?
Despite playing on just two days’ rest, Schmetzer only made four changes to his starting lineup in Tuesday’s match against the Sacramento Republic. With one more day of rest, Schmetzer suggested he might do something similar for Saturday’s match against Austin FC.
“We’re going there to win, not play for a draw,” Schmetzer said.
The thinking is relatively simple: The Sounders have done some impressive work to move themselves up to seventh in the Western Conference, but they're still just one point ahead of No. 9 Austin. Even more concerning, they are only two points above the playoff line. A win could catapult the Sounders as high as fifth, but a loss could drop them as low 10th.
When asked how much he’s talking about the standings with players, Schmetzer didn’t try to hide anything.
“It’s been this morning, it will be tomorrow, right before the game,” he said. “We understand the place we are in the standings and that the league results are just as important as the Open Cup results.”
