VANCOUVER – Already plagued by a litany of injury concerns going into the 2017 Audi MLS Cup playoffs, the Seattle Sounders can ill afford to lose any more starters ahead of their Western Conference Semifinal Leg 2 vs. the Vancouver Whitecaps on Thursday (10:30 pm ET | FS1, FOX Deportes; TSN, TVAS).
It should be considered good news, then, that Sounders center back and three-time MLS Defender of the Year Chad Marshall appears to be fine after subbing off of in the 78th minute of Sunday’s 0-0 first-leg draw at BC Place with an apparent leg problem.
Asked about the status of his linchpin defender after the game, Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer offered up his now-customary response to injury questions and called Marshall a “tough kid,” but added that he expects him to be good to go moving forward.
“It was just his hip was tightening up again,” said Schmetzer. “He’ll be fine.”
The Sounders were already shorthanded coming into the series, with Clint Dempsey suspended due to a red card he picked up in Seattle’s regular-season finale against the Colorado Rapids and forward Jordan Morris and midfielder Victor Rodriguez each out with leg injuries.
They did officially regain the services of a couple of recently-injured key contributors, though, as midfielders Ozzie Alonso and Gustav Svensson each featured in Sunday’s match as second-half substitutes. Alonso hadn’t played since straining his quad against Vancouver on Sept. 27, while Svensson is nursing a strained hamstring.
“Ozzie’s a composed player,” Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan said of his veteran teammate’s first game back. “On the ball, he brings that pause to the game. It was nice to have him back. He’s a leader. That’s the guy you want on the field for 90 minutes of every playoff game. So hopefully his fitness is pretty good for the next game and we’re looking forward to having him.”
Overall, Schmetzer said he was pleased with the performance of what was a makeshift starting XI compared to the ones the Sounders have fielded throughout the season. It was reserve Jordy Delem who deputized in Seattle’s defensive midfield with Alonso on the bench, while Harry Shipp drew the start on the wing with Rodriguez sidelined.
“The mantra of this team is ‘Next guy steps up’ and Harry did exactly what he was supposed to do,” Schmetzer said. “He’s the next who had to step up. It was a solid performance and he did well.
“[Delem] did great. It shouldn’t be a surprise, he’s a good player. With the injuries that we have, it seemed natural to put him in there, that’s his natural position. So, he was good.”
