The presence of Osvaldo Alonso was a crucial part of Gonzalo Pineda’s seamless transition to MLS in 2014. Playing next to each other in the central midfield, the two quickly became close friends and developed noticeable chemistry on and off the pitch.
Pineda finished with three goals and seven assists in his first year with Sounders FC, helping the club win a pair of major trophies. The former Mexican National Team midfielder made 28 regular-season appearances, and Alonso was on the field in every single one of them.
“When Ozzie is on, it’s different,” Pineda said this week. “It’s not better or worse – it’s just different, because he has a special talent to provide defensive options and also good possession to the team. He’s a great player, of course. When he’s on, it’s different.”
Alonso has been the heart and soul of Seattle’s midfield ever since the team joined MLS. He’s currently recovering from groin surgery, which is why he missed Sunday’s season opener.
Filling the void is Micheal Azira, a legitimate starter in Head Coach Sigi Schmid’s eyes.
“He has positionally done really well. He and [Pineda] are starting to establish a relationship,” Schmid said. “He fits in right now for us in that central position, and he’s doing a good job. Obviously Alonso is an important player to us, and we miss him, but Azira’s stepping in and doing the business.”
Azira is close to the same age as Alonso, but in just his second MLS season after a few years in the PDL and USL, he isn’t near Alonso’s level of experience.
Pineda admits it’s a somewhat peculiar feeling to take the field without Alonso, his partner in crime last season. He also acknowledged, however, that Azira is more than capable of filling in and that they felt comfortable playing together in the Rave Green’s 3-0 win over the New England Revolution.
“I have trust in him,” Pineda said of Azira. “He’s a hard worker, and I like that. He always does his best on the pitch, so I think he has my trust. And every time [we play together], we get to know each other a little better. I think we can get better, but we are good now.
“Just because we won 3-0, not everything is perfect. Sometimes there are little things that we can fix, even when we win. So for me, it’s very important that we can know that…we need to have that communication to get better.”
Seattle’s next match is at home on Saturday versus the San Jose Earthquakes.
