The Seattle Sounders will open their 2020 Concacaf Champions League campaign against Club Olimpia in San Pedro Sula, Honduras on Thursday without the services of Nicolas Lodeiro.
The star midfielder was listed as out on Seattle's injury report that was released ahead of the match as he continues to recover from hamstring tendinitis.
It's not entirely a surprise, as Lodeiro had been away from the team earlier in training camp to seek treatment on the issue in his native Uruguay and head coach Brian Schmetzer hinted in a conference call with reporters on Tuesday that the 30-year-old playmaker could be held out of the first-leg contest. Still, Lodeiro is always a central component of Seattle's game plan whenever he's on the field, so his absence will require some adjustments.
Lodeiro isn't the only regular contributor listed as out, as Swedish midfielder Gustav Svensson will also be sidelined for the contest with a calf strain. Midfielder Harry Shipp, another option Schmetzer may have turned to in the attacking midfield in Lodeiro's absence, is listed as questionable with an illness.
The only other name on Seattle's injury report is forward Will Bruin, who is still weeks away from a return as he continues to rehab a torn ACL he suffered last season.
