The Seattle Sounders’ starting lineup took another potential hit on Saturday in the form of veteran midfielder Andreas Ivanschitz, who was forced to leave the game midway through the team’s 3-1 loss to the Colorado Rapids.
Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid said on Monday that Ivanschitz suffered a thigh strain in the game, and his status is unclear as the team begins preparations for a matchup against Columbus Crew SC at CenturyLink Field on Saturday (1 p.m. PT; JoeTV/Univision-Seattle/KIRO 97.3 FM/El Rey 1360 AM).
“We’ll see,” Schmid said. “We’ll have a better idea on Wednesday.”
Ivancschitz leads the Sounders this season with three assists, and he’s appeared in all seven of the Sounders’ MLS regular season games this year. Saturday marked his shortest shift of the year and just the second time he failed to log a full 90 minutes.
Clint Dempsey [groin] and Nelson Valdez [hamstring], meanwhile, trained with the team on Monday after skipping the match in Colorado as a precautionary measure. Sounders officials said Saturday that both players are expected to be available against Crew SC.
Schmid said the club partook in an extra long film session on Monday on the heels of their biggest loss of the season, and discussed potential improvements this week against Columbus.
“We just talked as a team,” he said. “We know we can play better than we played, and we’re working on that aspect of it.”
Friberg Returns
Veteran midfielder Erik Friberg made his first appearance more than a month on Saturday, finally healthy again after suffering a sprained MCL in his left knee on April 12.
Friberg came on for Ivanschitz in the 50th minute, and said Monday it felt good to be back, even if was a little rusty.
“I’ve been gone for like, five weeks now, so it takes a while,” Friberg said. “The knee felt pretty good, but it’s other stuff too. Movement, stuff like that. But it’s getting better and better.”
