RENTON — Even as the Seattle Sounders continue on their nine-game unbeaten run, they can’t seem to catch much of a break on the injury front.
The latest to join the ranks of injured Sounders are Ryan Kent and Albert Rusnák, who both went down with hamstring ailments in Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Club Tijuana.
Although it’s still too early to give an exact timeline for either player’s return, Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer said neither would be available for the “near future” but insisted both should be back this season.
Of the two, Kent’s appears to be the more serious, with Schmetzer describing it as a “4C” tear. While that won’t require surgery, it is a full tear that will likely keep Kent out for a significant period. Kent has a history of hamstring injuries, which have forced him to miss at least seven games on three separate occasions between 2018 and 2021.
The MRI on Rusnák was still awaiting a final reading, leaving him in a bit of a “gray area.” Rusnák has mostly managed to avoid hamstring injuries in the past and tends to recover relatively quickly, which gave Schmetzer some reason for optimism.
“Is it a two-week or three-week?” Schmetzer asked rhetorically. “Albert has been pretty durable throughout his time here. We’re keeping our fingers crossed.”
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Replacing Kent would be relatively straightforward as Pedro de la Vega has already emerged as the starter on the left with Paul Rothrock a solid option off the bench. It also potentially opens some opportunities for Georgi Minoungou, who had struggled to get on the field since Club World Cup.
Rusnák’s spot will be tougher to fill. The midfielder was in the midst of another stellar season with 12 goals and seven assists across all competitions, a pace that put him on track to improve on last year’s career-best campaign.
Among the candidates to take his spot as the No. 10 are Danny Leyva, Jesús Ferreira and even Snyder Brunell, a recently signed Homegrown who has not yet made his MLS debut.
“We just don’t know,” Schmetzer said. “I would probably lean toward experience, but each game is going to be different.”
With João Paulo's return also unclear, the Sounders' depth is being stress-tested, again. Asked if he’s hoping that GM Craig Waibel might bring in some reinforcements before the summer transfer window closes on Aug. 21, Schmetzer was diplomatic.
“The thing for me is that I wouldn’t want to make a rushed decision because I think those are bad decisions,” Schmetzer said. “Look at the five-year plan, look at the three-year plan, look at the one-year plan and then look at the six-month plan. If we’re really, really desperate I think it goes in that order.
“Craig’s the expert. He’s done a good job of creating a very deep roster, and we’re going to need and use a lot of players this year.”
Stefan Frei is available
One good piece of injury news is that Stefan Frei has been cleared from the concussion protocol and is now eligible to play.
“He looks really good in training,” Schmetzer said.
That doesn’t necessarily mean Frei will immediately re-enter the lineup, though. Andrew Thomas has been playing well in Frei’s place and is making a bid to remain there.
“The best compliment I can give Andrew is he’s made it a true competition,” Schmetzer said. “I don’t know when I’m going to make a final, final decision on those two, but it’s certainly a conversation now.”
