Seattle took a beating during their two-game road trip, both in the standings and on the injury report.
After taking only one point from the two away matches against FC Dallas and Toronto FC, the injuries are a stern reminder of the importance of depth. Seattle ended up taking 21 players on the two-match trip and still had to cobble together a makeshift lineup for the TFC game.
Michael Fucito, Sanna Nyassi and Pat Noonan are all carrying knocks and might be in jeopardy of missing this Saturday’s match against coach Sigi Schmid’s old team, the Columbus Crew.
The in-form Fucito was expected to contribute over the past week but was unable to participate in either road game. The Harvard graduate, who scored a stoppage-time goal to defeat Kansas City two weeks ago, awkwardly banged his knee on the turf during a tackle against the Wizards. He ended up finishing that game, but after the adrenaline wore off, the injury left Seattle’s training staff at a loss.
“He just had a weird type of injury,” Sigi Schmid said. “I guess it’s something that, in fact, our trainer has never seen before so it’s something that’s going to take another week.”
Nyassi, who ended up starting against Toronto, wasn’t expected to make the trip but was called in after the FC Dallas game to meet the team in Canada. Nyassi played on the right wing of Seattle’s makeshift lineup against Toronto, even though he wasn’t fully healthy.
Nyassi played well against Toronto, minding his defensive responsibilities and providing a spark going forward in attack.
“I don’t think [Nyassi] was 100 percent because he had tweaked his knee a little bit the week before,” Schmid said. “I think he probably played at about 85 to 90 percent.”
Noonan’s also on the shelf for the time being. Schmid expects him to out for another one-to-two weeks. Between the three injuries, Seattle must now scramble to fill the remaining roster spots ahead of this weekend’s match.
The biggest question mark is at right midfield, which has been a revolving door in the absence of Nate Jaqua.
Noonan’s injury could open the door for Seattle’s sixth player to man the right midfield spot this season. Roger Levesque, Noonan, Nyassi, David Estrada and even Fredy Montero in a substitute’s role have manned the flank this year for the Rave Green.
Schmid has options, including deploying Nathan Sturgis or the ever-versatile Brad Evans on the right. Evans played right midfield a handful of times for Seattle last season and has even played right back for his club and the U.S. national team.
Against Toronto, the injuries forced Evans into a spot start at striker. He ended up being Seattle’s most consistent threat in that position, notching a team-high four shots.
“I had no hesitation playing Evans up front,” Schmid said. “I’ve seen Brad play up front in college and he even played up front for me a game or two for the under-20s in practice games. He is one of those players that tactically he can play wherever you need him to play. I thought he actually did well up front.”
