Yeimar Gomez Andrade just got hit with a *new* calf injury, and it means the Seattle Sounders’ already brutal injury situation just got a whole lot worse. He’s now out for an additional 4-6 weeks, piling on to a season where he has only played 3 of 16 matches and hasn’t seen the pitch since March 7. This is a massive blow for a club trying to find its footing.
The Injury Bug Just Keeps Biting
Seriously, what is going on with this team’s health? The good news is Alex Roldan, Kim Kee-hee, and Ryan Sailor are all likely available for Saturday’s game against the Portland Timbers. But that’s where the good news ends, folks. On top of Yeimar’s crushing new setback, Hassani Dotson will miss the Timbers match with a hamstring injury. And if that wasn’t enough, we still have Cristian Roldan and Jordan Morris each at least 3-4 weeks away from returning. Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer admitted, “We’ll make adjustments; we believe in the young kids to give a good effort against our arch rivals.”
Yeimar’s situation is especially frustrating. He’d been so close to coming back multiple times, even getting back to full training during the World Cup break before suffering a setback. He was looking ready to go *again* this week, only to suffer this fresh calf problem. Schmetzer is confident in his training staff but knows they’re examining everything. “I know they’re working hard to find trends, to see if it’s training, to see if it’s weights,” he said. “There just seems to be different injuries to different guys at different moments. We’re going over our training plans and making sure we’re not overcooking them.” They better figure it out fast!
Rivalry Week and a Five-Game Slide
The Sounders are currently riding a brutal five-game losing streak, and who do they face next? Our biggest arch-rivals, the Portland Timbers. You’d think that would be all the motivation they need, right? Well, Schmetzer thought that heading into their last game against the Timbers on July 16, and we all remember that one: it was “one of the most humiliating losses in club history.”
So, Coach Schmetzer is trying a different tactic this time around. “I know last game I said they didn’t need any extra motivation but they’ve heard it repeatedly,” he confessed. “It is a rivalry, it has to matter. They’re going to hear it’s important.” With so many key players out, especially Yeimar for so long, the pressure is on the guys who step up. Saturday’s game against the Timbers isn’t just about breaking a losing streak; it’s about pride, about showing some fight, and about proving they can compete even when the injury list looks like a novel. Let’s see if Schmetzer’s message gets through and if those “young kids” can rise to the challenge. It’s time to show the Timbers what Emerald City grit is all about.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Sounder at Heart.
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