As first reported by Sounder at Heart, Osvaldo Alonso will be seeing a specialist regarding his leg injury. The injury isn’t believed to be too serious, but it has to be a level of concern for the club and Sounders fans in general.
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The club wants him to see a specialist just to be careful. Alonso missed the latter part of the Western Conference semi-final against FC Dallas and the first leg of the Western Conference final against the Los Angeles Galaxy in last year’s playoffs.
"“I’ve got a little injury but I hope it’s nothing dangerous and I hope I can be ready for next week,” Alonso said."
Head Coach Sigi Schmid has this to say regarding the matter:
"“He’s making progress. This is the doctor we wanted him to see. He sees him this afternoon, and after that we’ll have a little more clarity as to how we move forward. He’s made progress each day and is starting to get stronger."
Alonso played in 33 of the teams 34 matches last year, missing the one due to yellow card accumulation. Since Alonso became part of the Sounders in 2009, he has been a vital cog to the team. Some could say that he is one of the most important players on the pitch as times.
Osvaldo has the ability to control the midfield throughout a 90 minute match and shut down opposing teams best players. You can tell when he is not on the pitch as teams like to attack up the middle, something they are not allowed to do with ease when he is on the pitch.
If Alonso is not able to go at the beginning of the season, there are a few players who can fill that void. They don’t have the same effect as him but they can get the job done if pressed. Two players that could possible step into that role at the moment to me would be Brad Evans and Michael Azira. Azira filled the role in last year’s playoffs and did a relatively good job. Evans is the savvy veteran and mister do it all when it comes to playing a variety of positions for the club.
In the end, I hope it is nothing too serious and that he will only miss a bit of preseason and will be ready for the season opener on March 8th against the New England Revolution. Schmid and the coaching staff will be cautious in bringing him back too soon and causing further injury.
Quotes courtesy of Sounder at Heart
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