The roster depth that the Seattle Sounders built in the offseason is going to be tested less than a month into the MLS season.
The Sounders (1-1-1, 4 points) will be without forward Jordan Morris, the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, and midfielders Paul Arriola and Pedro de la Vega when they play Saturday at St. Louis City (1-0-2, 5 points).
de la Vega suffered a quadriceps injury in last Saturday’s 5-2 victory against visiting Los Angeles FC and is expected to miss four to six weeks. Arriola tore the ACL in his left knee just before halftime in Tuesday’s 4-1 loss at Cruz Azul in the CONCACAF Champions Cup and is scheduled to undergo surgery. Morris limped off midway through the second half of that match with a hamstring injury and is also expected to be out from four to six weeks.
The Sounders might also be without coach Brian Schmetzer, whom the team announced is battling an illness.
“Guys have to step up,” said Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei, the team captain. “It’s an opportunity to play. They ought to be hungry themselves to play to the best of their ability and get some results. We’ve always said it’s the whole team, not just 11 guys, who are going to achieve something.
“From now until (this summer’s) Club World Cup, we have league (play) to focus on. Hopefully we can keep the train rolling despite some injuries.”
St. Louis opened the season with a pair of scoreless draws before breaking through with a 3-0 road victory against the defending MLS Cup champion Los Angeles Galaxy.
Cedric Teuchert had a goal and an assist and Simon Becher and Marcel Hartel also tallied for St. Louis. Goalkeeper Roman Burki made eight saves and was named the league’s player of the matchday.
“The momentum is on our side after a 3-0 win in L.A. and three clean sheets is the best in the league so far,” Teuchert said. “Seattle is a strong opponent, so we have to prepare for the next game.”
The Sounders are 4-0-0 against St. Louis since it entered the league in 2023, outscoring them 9-1.
–Field Level Media
