Sounders hope to have Osvaldo Alonso back in training next week

Osvaldo Alonso won't be suiting up for Saturday's game against the San Jose Earthquakes, but his return to the Seattle Sounders shouldn't be too much farther away.

"He's getting better, working hard," Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid said on Thursday. "We don't want to push him too quickly, but we're hoping to have him into some parts of training next week."

A week ago, Schmid said Alonso's top end speed was about 84 percent of where it normally was. There was not such precise update, but it sounds like Alonso could is at least a possibility for the Sounders' next league game on March 28 against FC Dallas. Alonso could also feasibly make some kind of appearance against Club Tijuana in a friendly on March 24.

In Alonso's absence last week, the Sounders started Micheal Azira, something that doesn't appear likely to change. Azira completed about 86 percent of his passes, made seven interceptions and mostly did an admirable job of filling in for one of the Sounders' best players.