TUKWILA, Wash. – When Seattle Sounders defender Chad Marshall was carried off the practice field on a stretcher and taken to the hospital in an ambulance with a neck injury on Sept. 30, it certainly looked like it had the potential to be another devastating long-term blow to Seattle’s back line.
But as Seattle head coach Sigi Schmid predicted earlier this month, it seems as though the reigning MLS Defender of the Year will make his return after missing just one game, as the Sounders hit the road to take on the Houston Dynamo on Sunday (5 pm ET, ESPN).
Marshall spoke to the media for the first time since the injury following Seattle’s Friday training session at Starfire Soccer Complex, saying that he has progressed well and that he feels ready to play this weekend.
“Every day has gotten better and better since it happened,” Marshall said. “I think the trainers did it right, the coaching staff, the way they brought me back in, it went seamlessly. I’m feeling good … I think I’m ready if I’m called on.”
Seattle benefited from a fortuitously-timed bye week that allowed Marshall some extra time to rehabilitate, something that the 31-year-old center back says should also benefit the rest of his teammates as they prepare for Houston.
“That was huge, the way that worked out,” Marshall said of the bye week. “Obviously, I didn’t have to miss another game. It gave us a little more time, guys got some rest which was good going into this late part of the season. For me, it was nice to be at home relaxing and not stressing that I’m missing a game, missing training. It worked out well.”
The Sounders now return their focus to maintaining their grasp on a playoff spot in the highly competitive Western Conference standings. They’ll come across a motivated Houston squad that is currently outside the playoff bubble with 41 points from 32 games on the season, but still mathematically alive for the postseason coming into the game.
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Sounders captain Brad Evans, freshly returned from US national team duty, said the high-stakes late-season matchups should make for good theater despite the added stress that comes with having their postseason positioning still up in the air with just two games left.
“It’s crazy,” Evans said. “I think scheduling has been perfect. This is what fans want, this what the league wanted, this is why we play the game right now. Years ago, even last year, we were in safe with six weeks to spare or something like that. It’s good scheduling by the league. It makes everything extremely competitive at this point.”
Marshall’s prognosis seems optimistic. But Schmid indicated on Friday that midfielder Marco Pappa could miss Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury he picked up while on international duty for Guatemala. Starting left back Oniel Fisher could also miss another game while recovering from a hamstring injury of his own.
