TUKWILA, Wash. — It is looking increasingly unlikely that the Seattle Sounders will have the services of Obafemi Martins at their disposal in their Knockout Round game against the Colorado Rapids on Wednesday (10:30 pm ET; NBCSN).
The Nigerian international did not train with the Sounders on Tuesday, and has not played in four of the Sounders’ last five games while battling a groin injury. He participated in most of Monday’s session, but left the field after missing a penalty and grimacing.
“He tried to train yesterday, came through parts of training all right,” Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid said on Tuesday. “He felt tighter today, so we decided to keep him inside.”
Schmid wasn’t quite ready to rule him out, though.
“He’s a very talented player, so if he wakes up and comes out of bed, saying, ‘Hey, it feels great today,’ like it did on Monday where he felt he could go out and train, that will change things,” Schmid said. “If we had to decide today, he wouldn’t be playing. But we’ll have to see how he feels tomorrow. It’s been one of those things where it feels good one day and not as good the next day.”
Various injuries have forced Martins to miss 12 games this season. If he doesn’t play against the Rapids, it will be the second time that he’s missed at least four in a row.
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The injuries seem to have taken their toll. After scoring six times in his first 10 appearances, Martins has just two goals in his past 10 and only one goal since scoring the winner in a 3-0 win over FC Dallas on Aug. 3.
The Seattle offense seems to have ebbed and flowed with Martins’ performances. In the 11 games the Sounders have scored multiple times, just three have come without a goal or assist from Martins and only one was a game in which he didn’t play.
