Gustav Svensson ruled out for season finale

While the Seattle Sounders are going into the final game of their season treating it like a playoff game, that doesn’t mean they are going to be rushing any of their injured players back onto the field.

Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer confirmed that Gustav Svensson won’t be participating after an MRI revealed a “slight strain” in his left hamstring. The chances of Osvaldo Alonso or Jordan Morris suiting up for this game also seem remote, at best. Schmetzer was unable to give any sort of timeline on any of the three players, calling each of them day-to-day.

He did note that Alonso and Morris have at least started jogging, “and that’s the first step.”

Without either Alonso or Svensson, there will be a new defensive midfield pairing. After Svensson left the game, Nicolas Lodeiro slid back alongside Cristian Roldan. The Sounders outscored FC Dallas 4-0 with that pairing. The other obvious one would be to insert Jordy Delem into the lineup. Delem’s only minutes since July 23 were his start against the Philadelphia Union on Oct. 1. The Sounders were trailing 1-0 and struggling to generate any offense during his 55 minutes while he was paired with Svensson.

The injury news somewhat underscores the importance of Sunday’s season finale. A win clinches a first-round bye and several extra days of rest.

“That is the toughest week you can potentially face,” Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei said about missing out on the bye. “Playing the last game of the season which is high intensity, mentally as well, it’s very difficult. Then having to go midweek — home or away — is high intensity. If you make it, you have to make that next home game count. In a span of week there’s three high-intensity games. It’s the most grueling week I’ve ever had. A bye makes that week a bit easier and then you get someone who has to go through that.”