RENTON — Of all the Seattle Sounders to miss last Saturday’s win over the Columbus Crew, the only one who was somewhat of a surprise was João Paulo. The midfielder had been a full participant in training for most of the week leading into the game and while he has been dealing with a recurring hip issue, he’s mostly been able to play through it.
Apparently, this was a new injury, though, and he will likely miss at least 2-3 more weeks.
João Paulo suffered the strained calf just before the team left for their road trip, prompting head coach Brian Schmetzer to start Cristian Roldan and Josh Atencio in the double-pivot for a second consecutive week. Schmetzer was pleased with the duo’s performance.
“It was better than the game before,” Schmetzer said about the pairing. “Cristian and Josh are super talented. It’s nice to have so many options in that part of the field. Their range and athleticism helped them because we were chasing the ball. I thought it was good.”
Although Roldan was named to the MLS Team of the Matchday, Atencio may have had the better performance. Atencio picked up an assist, was 38/40 passing, was 3/3 on tackles, had three interceptions, was 4/8 on duels and was a big reason the highly regarded Crew midfield was neutralized.
“In a game like that where we’re asked to play a team that likes to find guys guys in pockets and overload spaces, having the athleticism where we could do two jobs and cover two passing lanes and apply pressure was good,” Atencio said.
Giving Schmetzer another option is the return of Obed Vargas from international duty. Vargas was already back as an observer at Longacres today after playing one half in each of the Mexico U23 matches, and is expected to rejoin training on Thursday.
Whoever starts, Schmetzer admitted there isn’t really a like-for-like replacement for João Paulo on the roster.
“They’re all a little different, so it looks different with whoever is out there,” Schmetzer said.
Other injury updates
- After missing the Crew game with knee issues, Raúl Ruidíaz was back in training and is expected to be available against Sporting KC.
- Stefan Frei was a limited participant in training and remains in concussion protocol, but Schmetzer was optimistic that he’ll be cleared to fully participate by the weekend.
- Léo Chú was limited to training on the side after his left knee tendinitis flared up again in the Crew match. “The kid can’t catch a break,” Schmetzer said.
