RENTON — Injuries to Sounders designated player Albert Rusnák and first-choice defender Alex Roldan may not be as concerning as thought when both had to be replaced last week against San Diego FC.
Rusnák left the match at halftime due to an adductor injury he’s been managing since the end of last year. The midfielder’s had cortisone shots as part of his treatment in the past.
Roldan suffered a quad injury and was subbed off in the 34th minute of the 3-0 loss to SDFC at Snapdragon Stadium. He was walking around the training field Tuesday but did not participate in the session.
Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said both could be out 1-to-2 weeks. The team will leave Thursday for a road match against FC Dallas (3-2-2) on Saturday.
“I wouldn’t count any of them out for this weekend, yet,” Schmetzer said. “That might change later in the week.”
Sounders forward Danny Musovski is also questionable for the road trip. He pulled himself from training Tuesday, according to Schmetzer, due to back pain.
Musovski suffered the injury during a draw on the road against San Jose last month. He was able to sub on in the 62nd minute against San Diego.
The possible absences come as forward Jordan Morris could return to the rotation. Schmetzer said his leading goal-scorer is “probably” going to travel to Texas.
Morris has been out since March 11 with a hamstring injury. He has three goals in three MLS competitions this year.
No defense, no offense
The Sounders are off to a 1-3-3 start and are 12th in Western Conference standings, which mirrors last year’s record after seven matches. Injuries playing a role in the struggle was also a topic last year.
But while the Sounders had issues scoring consistently in 2024, the defense wasn’t also a glaring problem.
The Sounders conceded seven goals at this point last year. They’ve conceded 11 in their opening seven league matches this go-round.
The SDFC defeat was puzzling because it seemed the players were unaware of basic spacing in their team defending. There were also questionable individual decisions that led to the 3-0 deficit in the first half.
“You can’t have six, seven, eight guys not performing,” said Schmetzer, who didn’t want to give the players a pass despite some position changes and unexpected substitutions.
The Sounders are winless in their past four matches. The coaching staff is considering a formation change to shake the slump.
“We’re not forced to, we might have to because we haven’t gotten the results,” Schmetzer said. “That’s the bottom line. We’re in a results-based business. If things aren’t working and we try different personnel and that doesn’t work, then you’ve got to think about tactical changes.”
Kent nearing availability
Sounders winger Ryan Kent could be cleared to make his debut against Dallas. The Englishman is expected to travel to Vancouver, B.C., by Thursday for the final step in obtaining his P-1 visa.
“That’s a good sign for me,” Schmetzer said. “That’s close.”
Kent signed a one-year contract with Seattle earlier this month after making more than 300 appearances across four different countries in Europe. His last stop was a tumultuous experience with Turkey’s top-flight Fenerbahçe where he last played in July 2024.
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