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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Sounders look to rebound in second half of season

Joshua Mayers Seattle Times

TUKWILA, Wash. – Redemption will be a big theme for the middle-of-the-pack Seattle Sounders in the second half of the season.

Seattle has lost three of its last four games, the second major slump of the year, leaving work to be done in the next few months to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time.

That road starts today with a home game against the Colorado Rapids, the first of three in a row at CenturyLink Field.

“Starting the second half, and starting off with these three games at home, we can kind of have a clean slate,” forward/midfielder Lamar Neagle said.

Defender DeAndre Yedlin also called the homestand a good way to get back on track.

“The thing that I learned pretty fast here is when you have a bad streak, you’ve got to stay positive and keep pushing through it,” Yedlin said.

But the schedule and a dose of optimism might be the only things working for the Sounders at the moment.

Ten players are expected to be out against Colorado – forward Eddie Johnson because of international duty and another nine because of injury: Michael Gspurning (forearm), Djimi Traore (hamstring), Shalrie Joseph (calf), Steve Zakuani (sports hernia), Andy Rose (hamstring), Marcus Hahnemann (hamstring), Alex Caskey (ankle), Josh Ford (knee) and Philip Lund (foot).

Coach Sigi Schmid has called this the worst run of injuries the Sounders have faced and described a 7-7-3 record as a fair reflection of an inconsistent, substandard first half of the MLS season.

Notes

The Sounders are encouraging fans to show up early with new security measures that include screening fans with handheld metal detectors upon entry. … Midfielder Brad Evans, who suffered a rib injury last game, is listed as questionable but will be available at least off the bench, Schmid said.