TUKWILA, Wash. – There have been two particularly notable absences from training most of this week: Albert Rusnák and Jordan Morris.
Rusnák has apparently been dealing with an undisclosed illness that has kept him out of the last two sessions, but he is expected to at least travel for the match against Nashville SC on Saturday.
Morris has not been at training all week, while tending to his wife who has been pregnant with the couple’s first child. Although Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer was a little coy about the status, he did give a strong hint that the couple are now parents.
“His wife ‘was’ pregnant,” Schmetzer said. “There’s good news there, but it’s not mine to share.”
If there were ever a match where the Sounders could potentially afford to not force either player onto the pitch, it’s probably Saturday. Aside from Nouhou being suspended for yellow-card accumulation, the Sounders effectively have a fully fit roster that would have forced some tough choices, while home games on Oct. 4 (LA Galaxy) and Oct. 7 (Vancouver Whitecaps) meant some rotation was in order anyway. Without Rusnák and Morris in the starting lineup, that likely means Nicolás Lodeiro and Raúl Ruidíaz will start in those spots.
Schmetzer really likes Seattle
One of the most memorable moments of Tuesday’s logo unveiling party was the sight of about 50 current and former Sounders taking the stage together. What made it possible was not so much some over-the-top outreach efforts, but the reality that so many former players from every era are still local.
“That’s one thing about our city: It’s a real livable city,” Schmetzer said. “Guys come here and fall in love with the city. They make lives here, buy houses, business after soccer, jobs after soccer. Seattle is a great place to live.”
One vote for Lumen
After publishing our story about the Sounders exploring the possibility of leaving Lumen Field, the vast majority of fans were against it. While acknowledging there's a lot of fact-finding left to do, Schmetzer put plainly how high of a bar any new stadium would have to clear.
"It’s above my pay grade, but I like downtown," he said. "I like Lumen. Would I prefer grass in Lumen? Of course, but you have to take good with bad. I’m sure the club would do its due diligence. Downtown stadiums are pretty cool."
