Sounders preparing as if Raúl Ruidíaz will start Game 2

UPDATE: Jordan Morris’ MRI came back negative but he’ll likely sit against the Dynamo anyway.

Jordan Morris isn’t quite ruled out, but he is officially “doubtful” to play in Game 2 against the Houston Dynamo on Sunday. That likely means Raúl Ruidíaz will start.

“We’re waiting for the results of the MRI,” Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer told reporters following Wednesday’s training session. “We’ll have more information tomorrow. He’s doubtful. Unless he really has a change, we’ll just put Raúl in and that’s what we’ll go with.”

Morris came out of Monday’s shootout win after about 52 minutes with what the Sounders deemed a hamstring strain.

The freshly minted 30-year-old has been enjoying a banner year, setting career highs for all-competition goals (17) and minutes (3,435). If he doesn’t play in Game 2, it will be the first match he’s missed all year due to injury.

This would also be Ruidíaz’s first start since June 8, an 18-game stretch in which he’s only appeared in nine games. His last goal came on June 22.

Although Sounder at Heart reported Ruidíaz was upset with his playing time and has effectively decided this will be his last year in Seattle, he has seemingly made peace with that and has looked sharp in training in recent weeks. Schmetzer seemed totally comfortable with starting Ruidíaz in a potential series-clinching game.

“He’ll be fine,” Schmetzer said. “He wanted to come out and train today even though he wasn’t supposed to. He did a little extra today because he wants to be sharp. That’s a credit to him. The team just might look a little different because Raúl is different than Jordan. They’re both goal-scorers and I’m hoping Raúl can find some form, score a goal or two and help us win.”

Confidence in Frei

Stefan Frei has no shortage of accolades, which now includes ranking No. 2 all-time in playoff shutouts. But one of his relative weaknesses is on penalties, where he has saved just 5 of 63 attempts in his MLS regular season and playoff career. Frei is also now 2-4 in penalty shootouts with the Sounders.

Andrew Thomas, on the other hand, has stopped 3 of 4 in-game penalties he’s faced in his professional career — including one earlier this year — and led the Sounders to a dramatic shootout win over Louisville City in the U.S. Open Cup in May when he made two saves and converted his own attempt.

Tempting as it would have been to insert Thomas ahead of the shootout, Schmetzer didn’t give any indication it’s a move he’s likely to make.

“The conversation has taken place,” Schmetzer said. “Stef did his job, he forced the guy wide. He guessed 4 of 5 right. I know people are clamoring because of what happened in the Open Cup, but Stef’s the No. 1 guy and until that changes we’ll table that discussion.”

Decisions in midfield

One spot where Schmetzer might have a slightly tougher decision is in central midfield, where Obed Vargas will be returning from suspension. João Paulo effectively filled in alongside Cristian Roldan, and while he looked a little rusty after playing just nine minutes over the previous two months, he does offer a veteran savvy that can come in handy during the playoffs.

“JP was good,” Schmetzer said. “He had some good moments. Obed has been good with Cristian. So we’ll see.”