If the Seattle Sounders make their earliest-ever postseason exit, you can bet there will be a lot of attention paid to two names who aren't in the starting lineup for Wednesday's first-round match against the Galaxy: Osvaldo Alonso and Marco Pappa.
LINEUP. @SoundersFC XI. PLAYOFFS. GALAXY. Frei Mears Evans Marshall Gonzalez Valdez Rose Friberg Ivanschitz Dempsey Martins
— Sounders Matchday (@LIVESounders) October 29, 2015
PLAYOFF BENCH: Perkins, Scott, Fisher, Pineda, Roldan, Neagle, Barrett
— Sounders Matchday (@LIVESounders) October 29, 2015
Alonso's absence is not necessarily a huge surprise given he was unable to participate in training this week, but Pappa's is a bit more of a surprise. There were no indications during the week that Pappa was injured after he played all 90 minutes of the Sounders' regular-season finale. But he apparently re-aggravated the injury that forced him out of Guatemala's last match.
The good news is that the Sounders have a perfectly capable replacement in Nelson Haedo-Valdez, who should be well rested after not playing in the season finale.
The Galaxy will counter with what is effectively their first-choice lineup.
#LAGalaxy XI: Ricketts; DLG, Gonzalez, Leonardo, Rogers; Zardes, Juninho, Gerrard, Lletget; Keane, Dos Santos pic.twitter.com/ff1qODFDIX
— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) October 29, 2015