RENTON – Seemingly due for some good news on the player-availability front, the Seattle Sounders finally got some.
The biggest boost was Jordan Morris’ full participation in training, meaning he’ll be available for Wednesday’s match against Real Salt Lake. Morris had left Saturday’s game with what appeared to be a knee injury, but was cleared after scans determined nothing was structurally wrong.
“He just tweaked his knee,” Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer said following Tuesday’s training session. “He got hit funny, a little bit of a knock and a twist, but nothing that was going to keep him out.”
Part of why Morris’ status was so worrisome is that the Sounders are entering a stretch of three pivotal home games, all of which are being played during a FIFA international window (two of those games had been rescheduled from earlier this year). Last week, there was also some expectation that a few other players might get called away.
As it turns out, only Serbian striker Dejan Joveljić will be forced to miss all three matches. On Tuesday, it was announced that midfielder Snyder Brunell has also been called into the United States’ U20 team, but that camp doesn't start until Sept. 27. Brunell will only have to miss the Sporting KC on Oct. 1, but will be available on Wednesday, as well as on Saturday when the Sounders host Minnesota United. No one else will be called away.
With the recent returns of Cristian Roldan, Hassani Dotson, Paul Arriola and Jackson Ragen, and the imminent return of Yeimar Gomez Andrade, the Sounders will be as close to full strength as they have been since the World Cup break.
The Sounders’ health is such that there aren’t even any immediate plans to bring in players from Tacoma Defiance on short-term loans, although Schmetzer did say he considered calling in Mark Bronnik. The 19-year-old Defiance striker just completed a 13-goal, 4-assist regular season, but apparently picked up a slight injury on Sunday.
"We’re keeping a close eye on him because he’s a talented kid," Schmetzer said.
