TUKWILA, Wash. — Seattle Sounders striker Fredy Montero has undergone wrist surgery and could miss Saturday’s match against the San Jose Earthquakes. (10:30 pm ET, Direct Kick and Matchday Live)
According to head coach Sigi Schmid, a final determination on Montero’s eligibility has yet to be made.
“He’s having surgery on his wrist,” Schmid said Thursday. “It’s something that they decided they felt they needed to do surgery on now. It’s not something major, but it had to be done now because it could develop into something major if it wasn’t taken care of.
“Now it’s a question of, is he going to play on Saturday? There’s a chance he could play Saturday; there’s a chance he might not play Saturday."
WATCH: Montero tries left-footed volley
Montero suffered the injury in training the day prior to a 1-0 loss against the New York Red Bulls on March 19. Montero has seen wearing a brace on his right wrist in the past two games.
According to Schmid, the injury was located in a place that does not receive much blood flow, necessitating surgery in the near term. Schmid does not expect Montero to miss more than one game.
“If he does miss Saturday, he’ll be back for the following week for sure,” Schmid said. “It’s not something that’s going to keep him out very long. It’s a little bit unsure as to whether he can play Saturday or not. It depends on how the surgery goes [on Thursday].”
Montero was not at training Thursday, the day the team generally goes through a prematch walkthrough. Should Montero be unable to go, Mauro Rosales, who is still building fitness, most closely matches Montero’s skill set and could be a one-to-one switch.
Another possible replacement, Mike Fucito, walked out of Thursday’s practice with a rolled ankle. Nate Jaqua could also play striker, as could a handful of other players on the Sounders roster.
Montero leads the league in shots (14) and shots on goal (9), but has yet to score this season. Including the playoffs, the Colombian is scoreless in his last 12 games dating back to last season, with his last goal coming on August 28 against the Chicago Fire.
