RENTON — Léo Chú was a somewhat surprising full participant in the Seattle Sounders training session on Tuesday and will be eligible for selection this weekend, according to head coach Brian Schmetzer.
Chú last played on May 15 — almost exactly three weeks ago — when he had to come out of a 2-0 loss to Real Salt Lake with an adductor injury. Initially, the Sounders believed he would miss 3-4 weeks.
The prognosis was not as clear for Pedro de la Vega, who last played on May 18. That marked his return from an 11-week absence after suffering two separate hamstring injuries.
At the time, the expectation was that de la Vega would slowly return to action. Instead, the Sounders decided not to take him on their trip to St. Louis City and he then didn’t play a few days later in a home game against Real Salt Lake.
Schmetzer said de la Vega was “day-to-day” after the midfielder was a limited participant in Tuesday’s session. Schmetzer has insisted that de la Vega didn’t so much encounter a “setback” and has described the issue as discomfort that the Sounders are reluctant to force him to push through. Since signing for a reported $7 million transfer fee, de la Vega has made just three appearances and logged about 100 minutes of playing time.
“We’re trying to get him up to speed and it hasn’t happened,” Schmetzer said when asked about de la Vega’s progress. “I’m trying to help as much as I can but I’m not going to push the kid. If it was a playoff situation or something, I might push a little harder. But it’s a long-term investment. I’m just not going to push him. Things change and if there’s any serious setbacks I’ll let you guys know. Right now I’m taking it very cautiously.”
