When the Sounders entered a hotel conference room for dinner on Friday evening, two guys were already sitting there.
One came from Sweden, the other from Peru. Over the last couple weeks, they were both in Russia for the FIFA World Cup. But for Raúl Ruidíaz and Gustav Svensson, their attention now turns to MLS, beginning with Sunday’s match against Atlanta United at 11:00 a.m. PT on FOX.
- PREVIEW: Sounders visit Atlanta United
“It was a welcomed sight when the guys walked into dinner last night,” Head Coach Brian Schmetzer said on Saturday after practice at Atlanta United's training facility.
Ruidíaz joined the squad after spending time in Morelia, Mexico – the place of his former club – and his hometown of Lima, Peru. With all paperwork cleared, the 27-year-old forward is eligible to make his MLS debut against Atlanta.
“It’s his second training session, so we have to be careful with that,” Schmetzer said. “There are baby steps there, but he is going to incorporate fine with the group. He wants to be here, he wants to win.”
Svensson met the team in Atlanta after spending several days in Sweden following the country’s impressive run at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The Swedes reached the quarterfinal, but fell to England 2-0 last Saturday in Samara. Now back with the Rave Green, the 31-year-old midfielder feels great physically, but the challenge is the mental and emotional transition back to league play.
“I am doing my best to be focused on tomorrow,” Svensson said. “It’s not easy. You’re pretty empty on emotions after as big of a thing like the World Cup.”
Although both players are undoubtedly battling fatigue as globetrotters, the club will be bolstered with the return of Svensson and addition of Ruidíaz.
“We’ll be putting our really talented team on the field,” Schmetzer said. “We’ll be trying to get some points and we’ll be ready for them.”
