Seattle Sounders Head Coach Brian Schmetzer announced on Sports Radio KJR on Tuesday that captain Nicolás Lodeiro will miss the next two matches while he recovers from knee inflammation. Seattle hosts Atlanta United on Sunday (1:30 p.m. PT; FOX, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM | TICKETS) before welcoming MLS newcomers Austin FC to Lumen Field the following week (6:30 p.m. PT; FS1, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM | TICKETS).
“It’s not looking great,” Schmetzer said. “We’re probably going to shut him down until after the break. We want to be careful. Long term, Nico is a valuable asset. So, we’re looking to shut him down for the next two home games for sure and then we have that break and then we’ll try and ramp him up for that game against the Galaxy [on June 19].”
The Sounders have a three-week international break from May 30 to June 19, which should hopefully give Lodeiro more time to rest. He missed the first two matches of the season with a quad strain then made his season debut against the LA Galaxy on May 2, playing 24 minutes off the bench. He hasn’t played since while suffering from knee pain.
“He’ll be fine at some point, but that inflammation is a tricky thing,” said Schmetzer. “We’ve tried to keep him involved, but we think it’s best to shut him down and let it rest completely.”
Seattle has fared incredibly well despite missing the presence of the 2020 MLS Best XI attacking midfielder. The Sounders are atop the Supporters’ Shield standings heading into Week 6 and own the best goal differential in MLS.
