A pair of Seattle Sounders have received international call-ups, putting their status for the club’s Aug. 28 match at the Portland Timbers in jeopardy.
Seattle midfielder and recent Designated Player signing Nicolas Lodeiro and center back Roman Torres have both been called to their respective national teams for upcoming World Cup qualifiers. Lodeiro was named to Uruguay’s provisional squad for qualifiers against Argentina and Paraguay, while Torres, who has yet to play this year but recently returned to full training with Seattle for the first time since suffering a torn ACL last September, was called by Panama for qualifiers against Jamaica and Panama.
Uruguay will open camp just one day after the Sounders’ match at Portland next Sunday, putting Lodeiro in doubt for what should be a crucial Western Conference battle. It’s not yet clear when Panama will convene ahead of their Sept. 2 match against Jamaica in Panama City.
Sounders interim manager Brian Schmetzer spoke with media about Lodeiro’s call-up on Tuesday.
“Could be a little tricky,” Schmetzer said. “We’re working on it. We’re obviously going to do whatever we can to keep him around.”
Lodeiro has been excellent since moving to Seattle from Boca Juniors in late July, registering one goal and three assists in his three Sounders appearances. He’s been a driving force as Seattle have started their long climb toward the red line, helping the club to a draw in his first start before playing a large role in two straight wins to pull the Sounders within five points of Portland for West’s the sixth and final playoff spot.
Torres was signed last summer following a stellar performance at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, but went down with his ACL tear after just four regular season appearances with the Sounders. He’s yet to make a gameday roster for Seattle this season.
Seattle will have an opportunity to pull closer to the Timbers this Sunday, when they host Portland at CenturyLink Field in the first of back-to-back matches against their Cascadia rivals (9:30 pm ET; FS1 in the US, MLS LIVE in Canada).
Uruguay, who are currently in first place in CONMEBOL qualifying, will play at Argentina on Sept. 1 before hosting Paraguay on Sept. 6.
Panama are currently in second place in Group B of CONCACAF’s fourth round of qualifying. Los Canaleros will secure a berth in the Hexagonal with a win against Jamaica on Sept. 2. They’ll play at group leaders Costa Rica on Sept. 6.
The Sounders have a bye on the weekend of Sept. 3, returning to action following the second Portland match on Sept. 10 at San Jose.
