Availability of Nouhou, Rothrock now in question

RENTON – Heading into their biggest game of the season and coming off a three-week break between games, the Seattle Sounders may end up being a bit short-handed.

Although Jordan Morris and Albert Rusnák were able to use that time off to fully heal from the injuries that kept them out of the second match of the Sounders’ First Round series against the Houston Dynamo, Paul Rothrock and Nouhou were unable to participate in Thursday’s training session. That leaves them very much in doubt for Saturday’s Western Conference semifinal against LAFC.

Rothrock is apparently dealing with a quadriceps injury that has “been a little bit more stubborn than it should be,” according to head coach Brian Schmetzer, who indicated his availability will be a game-day decision.

“We’ll have to get him down there and see if he can strike a ball cleanly and do all the things that he needs to do to be ready to play in such a big game,” Schmetzer said about Rothrock.

Nouhou has not yet returned from international duty, while dealing with an apparent illness. He’s expected to meet the team in Los Angeles, but Schmetzer seemed confident he’d at least be available. Nouhou was originally expected to be back on Wednesday.

It almost goes without saying that the players’ absences is likely causing some consternation among the coaching staff, but the Sounders do have some decent options if one or both of them are ultimately not able to start. Here’s a quick look at those options: