SEATTLE – Patrick Ianni’s availability against Monterrey for Wednesday night’s CONCACAF Champions League match is in question as the defender struggles with a stomach virus.
With Tyrone Marshall unavailable due to a yellow-card suspension, Ianni’s health is of paramount importance for Seattle’s first-ever CCL group-stage home game at Qwest Field.
After the club was given the weekend off, Ianni missed Monday’s practice with a stomach illness. On Tuesday, the Lodi, Calif., native trained with the team at Qwest and Sounders coach Sigi Schmid is optimistic about his chances to play.
“He felt fine today,” said Schmid. “It was probably a case of a little stomach flu. Things just didn’t stay down the other day. He’s felt fine for the last 24 hours. As long as he can practice and keep his food down, he should be OK.”
Ianni and Jeff Parke have formed a stable partnership in the back line that has led Seattle’s defensive turnaround in the past 45 days. If Ianni is unable to partner with Parke against Monterrey, Schmid will need to call on Seattle’s depth with Jhon Kennedy Hurtado still out with a long-term knee injury.
Taylor Graham is healthy and could be selected to the 18, while Tyson Wahl also has experience as a central defender. Even Zach Scott, who generally plays on the outside, can fill in for emergency duty. For continuity’s sake, however, Ianni would be the best option against a Monterrey team many consider to be the strongest of the competition.
Los Rayados come into the match with three points, thanks to a 1-0 victory over Saprissa at home on the tournament’s first match day. After losing the first match in the competition, Schmid is stressing defending the home field during the group stage.
“For us, it's all about getting to the next round and winning our home games, whether it's Monterrey, Saprissa or Marathón,” Schmid said. “It doesn't make a difference. We need to try and win our home games.”
Seattle begin a stretch of three games in eight days. The Sounders welcome back Freddie Ljungberg and the Chicago Fire on Saturday, then host Chivas USA in a US Open Cup semifinal on Sept. 1.
