Newly signed Yeimar Gomez Andrade and Nicolas Lodeiro, who had been in Uruguay receiving treatment for tendinitis, both joined their Seattle Sounders teammates in time for the first day of training in Mexico City on Friday. That means the Sounders will be training with what effectively amounts to a full squad until their Concacaf Champions League opener on Feb. 20.
Yeimar is here and Nico is back!
— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) February 7, 2020
Our latest signing and team captain have joined the club in Mexico for preseason. pic.twitter.com/8dv6yrtji3
Lodeiro had missed at least the last week of training, while Gomez Andrade’s arrival was delayed by paperwork surrounding his visa. Gomez Andrade is still awaiting that paperwork, which along with his international transfer certificate would make him eligible to play in games, but the team expressed confidence that it remains on track. Even without a work visa, though, Gomez Andrade can at least start training with his new teammates.
Assuming Gomez Andrade can get his paperwork finalized, two weeks of training is probably close to the minimum amount of time he’d need to become reasonably comfortable. If Gomez Andrade can’t start against Olimpia, the spot would likely go to Shane O’Neill, who looked strong against Sacramento Republic in Wednesday’s scrimmage.
This story was updated to more accurately depict Gomez Andrade’s visa situation.
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