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As soon as Osvaldo Alonso fell to the ground, clutching his hamstring the Seattle Sounders' hopes of advancing to their first MLS Cup took a bit of a hit. Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid would later proclaim that he felt Alonso could heal in time for Sunday's game against the LA Galaxy, providing some hope. While Alonso's availability still seems questionable, Schmid is at least still holding out hope with about five days of preparation still remaining.
Schmid says Osvaldo Alonso "coming along as we expected." In gym today, will do more each day, and still expected to be ready for LA.
— Don Ruiz (@donruiztnt) November 17, 2014
Alonso is, of course, one of the Sounders' most important players. It's not just that he is their most active midfielder, he's also the league's most accurate passer (completing 91 percent of his passes).
If Alonso is unable to play, the Sounders have no shortage of options. Michael Azira filled in against FC Dallas and played well enough to at least get consideration for a start. Andy Rose is also expected to be back from injury, although he hasn't played since Oct. 10 and hasn't started since Sept. 24. Brad Evans presents another option even if he has not ever played alongside Gonzalo Pineda in the center of the park.