The Seattle Sounders were given a scare during the club’s 2-1 defeat to FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium after defender Chad Marshall was subbed off in just the 63rd minute with what appeared to be a foot injury.
But asked after the game for an update regarding status, Sounders interim head coach Brian Schmetzer indicated that he doesn’t expect the injury will be long-term concern for his 32-year-old center back.
“[Marshall] got kicked in the back of the ankle,” Schmetzer said. “He’s got ice on it now. We’ll revisit that [next week]. He’s a tough kid. He should be fine.”
Assuming it holds true, that’s news that will certainly come as a relief to Sounders fans as the club gears up for next Sunday’s high-stakes regular-season finale against Real Salt Lake at CenturyLink Field.
The 32-year-old Marshall is the only three-time winner of the MLS Defender of the Year award and has forged impressive chemistry with Panamanian Roman Torres in Seattle’s central defense as the club has surged back into Western Conference playoff contention.
Marshall’s early exit on Sunday certainly didn’t help matters against FCD in a game where Seattle’s depth was already stretched exceptionally thin.
Star midfielder Ozzie Alonso missed the contest due to a red card suspension stemming from Seattle’s 0-0 draw against the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday. Midfielder Andreas Ivanschitz also missed the game with a knee sprain, while captain Brad Evans and forward Nelson Valdez also didn’t travel to Frisco.
“Our depth was definitely tested today,” Sounders forward Herculez Gomez said after the game. “For long stretches I thought we did very well in the containment department. But it can’t just be 90 minutes of trying to contain and we fell into that.”
