Marco Pappa may not get the Seattle homecoming he's been waiting for.
The current Colorado Rapids midfielder is battling a hamstring injury suffered prior to their Western Conference Semifinals series against the LA Galaxy and is currently working on getting back to full health. His status is questionable but is expected to travel to Seattle ahead of the first leg of the Western Conference Championship against the Sounders next Tuesday at CenturyLink Field (7 p.m. PT; FS1, KIRO Radio 97.3 FM, El Rey 1360AM).
Pappa spent the 2014 and ’15 seasons with the Sounders, recording nine goals and 11 assists in 49 appearances. He was traded to Colorado last December.
“We’ve been cautious with Marco,” said Rapids head coach Pablo Mastroeni in a conference call with reporters on Wednesday. “I know how much it would mean to him to contribute and to have an opportunity to beat his old team.”
Pappa did not play in the first leg against the Galaxy on Oct. 30 and then logged eight minutes off the bench in the second leg. He scored twice and had four assists in 20 appearances this year during the regular season.
“I’m really excited about the progress he’s made,” said Mastroeni, “and looking forward to having him with the group in Seattle.”
