New Seattle Sounders Designated Player Raúl Ruidíaz joined the team in Atlanta this past weekend ahead of its eventual 1-1 draw against Atlanta United. Ruidíaz, who signed on June 29 but wasn’t eligible to play until after the MLS transfer window opened on July 10, was available as a substitute, but did not make his long-anticipated debut.
The Sounders went down to 10 men in the 63rd minute when Jordan McCrary earned a second yellow card, and going down to 10 men with the score tied on the road forced Head Coach Brian Schmetzer to be more strategic with his substitutes. He brought on three defensive-oriented players in Kelvin Leerdam, who made his return from a hamstring injury, Gustav Svensson, who returned from the FIFA World Cup with Sweden, and Ozzie Alonso, who returned from hip tightness.
Schmetzer’s defensive moves paid off, as Seattle escaped with a well-earned, shorthanded road point at the Supporters’ Shield leaders, but he said after the match that he expects Ruidíaz to find the field this Saturday at home against the rival Vancouver Whitecaps (1 p.m. PT; JOEtv, YouTube TV, Univision-Seattle, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM | TICKETS).
“The only reason [Ruidíaz] didn’t come on was because after the second [yellow], we needed Will Bruin to be a big, strong target guy,” said Schmetzer. “We had to dump balls from goal kicks and set pieces. He needed to win some of those balls. It was our decision to leave Will on in a more defensive game. Certainly, we will see Ruidíaz at home next weekend.”
