RENTON, Wash. – It has only been six days since the Seattle Sounders returned to training after 18 days off during the World Cup, but they’ll now start the final four days of the CBA-mandated break.
Although Wednesday was a particularly light day of mostly regenerative work – there weren’t even goals on the field – it marked the end of what head coach Brian Schmetzer deemed a productive, if short, stretch.
The highlight was surely Tuesday’s scrimmage against Belgium — who has been using the Longacres facility as their World Cup training base — in which a mix of first-teamers and Defiance players played two 30-minute halves. Although details were a bit hard to come by, the game ended with Belgium winning 2–1 and Tino Lopez scoring the Sounders’ goal. Although played behind closed doors, a small group of Sounders fans were invited to watch.
“It was a good atmosphere and a good game,” Schmetzer said. “A couple of things could have gone either way. It was a nice occasion for our players to play against Belgium. It was a win-win on both counts. The players were super excited, super motivated because there were some big names out there.”
The match came a day after Belgium played to a 1–1 tie with Egypt in their opening match of the group stage, meaning their starters weren’t used. Among the Belgium players who did feature were Romelu Lukaku and Axel Witsel. Among the Sounders who featured were Lopez, Osaze DeRosario, Sebastian Gomez, Kim Kee-hee, Paul Arriola, Nouhou and Ryan Sailor.
Aside from the match, Schmetzer says sharing training space with Belgium has been a genuine pleasure. He noted that he and Belgium manager Rudi Garcia have talked regularly, both casually and on more technical topics like training and tactics. Schmetzer has also been invited to watch training sessions.
"They’re just good people, good soccer players," Schmetzer said.
Pedro de la Vega update
Pedro de la Vega (knee) has resumed some limited training. Although he is unlikely to be available by the time the Sounders return to action on July 16, Schmetzer seemed optimistic that the midfielder would at least resume fully training around that time. The hope, Schmetzer said, is that de la Vega would be fully fit by the time the Sounders visit the Timbers on Aug. 1.
Although the Sounders had originally hoped de la Vega would be back around six months after his surgery and it has now been closer to eight months, Schmetzer said that was not the result of a specific setback. Recovery from a dislocated knee can take anywhere from six months to a year.
Boosted centerback depth
The Sounders have been shorthanded at centerback almost all year, but should be much deeper when the season resumes. In addition to Jackson Ragen, Alex Roldan and Tino Lopez, who have carried the bulk of the load in the first half of the season, Yeimar Gomez Andrade, Stu Hawkins, Sailor and Kee-Hee have now all resumed full training.
