Banged-up Sounders seek to spark offense vs. Nashville SC
Another week, another significant injury for the Seattle Sounders as they prepare to host Nashville SC on Saturday.
The Sounders announced that Jackson Ragen, one of the finalists for Major League Soccer's Defender of the Year award last season, will miss the next four to six weeks because of a right hamstring injury suffered late in the first half of last Saturday's 1-0 victory against host FC Dallas.
"Jackson's calling card is his ability to make the right pass, not just the technical piece of the pass," Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said. "So, we'll miss him."
Kim Kee-Hee or Jonathan Bell are likely to replace Ragen on Saturday. Kim, who returned to the Sounders this year after last playing for them in their MLS Cup-winning 2019 season, made his season debut off the bench last week.
"That little bit of leadership from a veteran player certainly is good," Schmetzer said of Kim. "He's got a few more miles on him, a few more years on him, but he still looks good."
The Sounders (2-3-3, 9 points) could get a boost from the return of leading scorer Jordan Morris, who has missed the past five matches with a hamstring injury. Seattle has scored just two goals without Morris in the lineup, going 1-2-2.
Midfielder Albert Rusnak (adductor) and defender Alex Roldan (quadriceps) are also expected back after missing the Dallas match.
Nashville (4-3-1, 13 points) snapped a two-game skid by rallying for a 2-1 victory against visiting Real Salt Lake last Saturday. Sam Surridge scored the winner from the penalty spot in second-half stoppage time after Dan Lovitz tied it with a header off a set piece in the 30th minute.
"Coming off a win, everyone is happy about that," Nashville goalkeeper Joe Willis said. "When you play in a game like that, that's not your cleanest and you don't play your best ... getting a win helps your confidence.
"Going into Seattle, we know it's a tough place to play. We're going to have to be resilient and play for the entire 90 minutes. It doesn't matter what (the Sounders') last result was, what their last five results are or who is on the field for them. Every time you go to Seattle it's a battle."
Nashville coach BJ Callaghan said defender Walker Zimmerman, the team captain, remains in the concussion protocol and is questionable for Saturday's match.
--Field Level Media
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MLS Standings
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus Crew | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | +6 | 18 |
| Charlotte FC | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | +6 | 16 |
| FC Cincinnati | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | +1 | 16 |
| Inter Miami CF | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | +6 | 15 |
| Philadelphia Union | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | +4 | 13 |
| Nashville SC | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | +4 | 13 |
| Orlando City SC | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | +3 | 12 |
| Chicago Fire FC | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | +2 | 12 |
| New York Red Bulls | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | +2 | 12 |
| New York City FC | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 11 |
| Atlanta United FC | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | -2 | 9 |
| New England Revolution | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 7 |
| D.C. United | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -9 | 6 |
| Toronto FC | 8 | 0 | 4 | 4 | -6 | 4 |
| CF Montréal | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | -9 | 2 |
MLS Standings
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver Whitecaps | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | +11 | 19 |
| Minnesota United FC | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | +4 | 15 |
| San Diego FC | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | +6 | 14 |
| Portland Timbers | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | +3 | 14 |
| Colorado Rapids | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 14 |
| Austin FC | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 13 |
| LAFC | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | -1 | 12 |
| FC Dallas | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 11 |
| San Jose Earthquakes | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | +4 | 10 |
| Real Salt Lake | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | -5 | 9 |
| Seattle Sounders FC | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | -2 | 9 |
| St. Louis CITY SC | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -1 | 8 |
| Houston Dynamo FC | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -6 | 6 |
| Sporting Kansas City | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | -6 | 4 |
| LA Galaxy | 8 | 0 | 3 | 5 | -9 | 3 |
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