TUKWILA, Wash. – It’s difficult to understate the importance of Brad Evans to Sounders FC.
The central midfielder, who missed vast swaths of the 2010 season with injuries, is slated to be a key figure for Seattle this season. Head coach Sigi Schmid said as much, recalling a conversation he held with another MLS coach about his attack-minded player.
“One of the first things [the other coach] said when we saw each other was, ‘Do people realize how much you miss Evans because of his ability to make those late runs into the box, which are so hard to defend?’” Schmid recounted.
With Nathan Sturgis playing in place of Evans for the latter part of last season, the Sounders missed that ability. Fortunately for Schmid, Evans is making great progress in his recovery from the injury that shut him down in 2010.
This preseason, the Sounders are taking a cautious approach with Evans (as well as defender Jhon Kennedy Hurtado), who practiced lightly on Wednesday after taking part in a full training session on Tuesday.
[inline_node:121192]“There’s no reason to push them so hard to try and get them 100 percent fit and then they’re 100 percent injured,” Schmid said of Evans and Hurtado. “It’s better to be 100 percent not injured and maybe 75 percent fit. We’re trying to get that balance.”
When he does get fit, Evans faces a battle to regain his place in the starting XI.
The general consensus around Sounders camp is that the top end of the roster is much stronger than in 2009 or ’10. In Erik Friberg, the Swedish midfielder signed in the offseason, Schmid now possesses another player with similar attributes to Evans. These two may end up competing for the right to be Osvaldo Alonso’s partner in the “engine room.”
To speed his comeback from injury, the player spent the offseason in Seattle working with fitness coach Dave Tenney and assistant athletic trainer Chris Cornish five days a week. Evans, who took only one week off for vacation, said that the work is paying off – he feels excellent and did not have any soreness after the first day of training camp on Tuesday.
Schmid is pleased with Evans’ progress, mentioning that an MRI of the player’s injury taken Tuesday showed “marked improvement” and indicated that in three to four weeks, the midfielder should be much further along than he is now.
Evans, however, is taking a shorter-term approach.
“I’m not even looking two weeks ahead, three weeks ahead,” Evans said. “I’m looking two days ahead, one day ahead. Let’s just make it to tomorrow without any repercussions or any lingering pain. As long as I stay healthy, that’s the most important thing for me.”
