SEATTLE — Facing a monumental hole, it remains unclear who the Seattle Sounders will have available to pull them out.
Just two days before the Sounders play the LA Galaxy in the second leg of the Western Conference Championship (9 pm ET, ESPN; TSN2/RDS2, live chat on MLSsoccer.com), Mauro Rosales, Leo González and Mario Martínez are still in varying degrees of availability.
In the case of Rosales and González, it’s about fitness.
“I don’t think either are quite at a 100 percent,” head coach Sigi Schmid said after training at CenturyLink Field. “How close are they to 100 percent? How many minutes do they have to give? In a game like it is [Sunday], you have to get into fifth gear. If you can only get it into third or fourth, then you have think a little bit.”
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From the sound of it, González may be a little closer. The left back was able to fully participate in training for a second straight day.
Rosales, who has missed all or part of the postseason for a second straight season, is yet to fully participate in training.
“Mauro did more,” Schmid said. “He and I talked, so we’ll see how he is tomorrow and make a final decision.”
Martínez is at least healthy. The problem for him is that he’s spent the better part of the past week flying all over the country. His flight back from Houston, where he played 15 minutes for Honduras in a friendly, was his sixth since Nov. 7.
“He’s going to factor into this game,” Schmid said of the attacker. “Where and when is to be determined.”
