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With a game on the first day of the international break, the Seattle Sounders are dependent on the goodwill of various national teams as they attempt to get a key win in league play. Monday’s match will, at a minimum, be without Peru star Raul Ruidiaz and Sweden utilityman Gustav Svensson. The Seattle Times indicates that the club is still negotiating with Uruguay and Martinique to keep Nicolas Lodeiro and Jordy Delem.
The Sounders as of Sunday were still in talks with Uruguay about holding on to midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro an extra day, as well as with Martinique about keeping Jordy Delem. But the loss of Ruidiaz and Svensson are key blows, with the Sounders looking to win out their final four contests to maximize playoff positioning.
Sounder at Heart reporter Niko Moreno can confirm the absence of Ruidiaz.
I have been told by my contact @jean_maravi that Raúl Ruidiaz will be flying to Miami tonight around 10 pm. The Sounders striker will be joining Peru's National team for their upcoming friendlies and will certainly miss out on Monday's home game. @sounderatheart #MLS #Sounders
— Niko Moreno (@ELROLONW) October 7, 2018
Roman Torres, Kim Kee-hee and Cristian Roldan were not called in for national team duty.
The biggest blow will be in the final third. A worst-case scenario means that the Sounders will be without their top two scorers (Ruidiaz, Lodeiro) and their top assister (Lodeiro). Attacking threats Harry Shipp and Brad Smith are still out with hamstring issues.
The creative burden will shift to Victor Rodriguez and Cristian Roldan, while Will Bruin will have to score goals and find support from supplemental players who struggled in the early season.
Handwalla Bwana, Alex Roldan, and Henry Wingo all recently performed well with Sounders FC 2 while on loan. None have been standouts there, but Wingo leads the group with 3 goals, an assist, and 17 chances created in 12 appearances. Alex and Handwalla each have an assist in more limited action.
It is almost certain that all national team players will be unavailable for the match at Orlando City on October 17, the day after the final games of the international break.