Sounders veterans Osvaldo Alonso, Chad Marshall out until August with sprains

A banged-up Sounders team resumed training in Tukwila, Washington on Thursday minus a couple of veterans that won’t be back until August at the earliest.

The Sounders revealed that midfielder Osvaldo Alonso has a sprained MCL ligament in his left knee and will be lost from four-to-six weeks. Initially, the team had feared a more complete ligament tear that could have sidelined Alonso for the season, so they’ll accept the less severe diagnosis and time off.

Center back Chad Marshall has a foot sprain that general manager Garth Lagerwey said could keep him out for roughly the same time period, though he is expected back sooner than Alonso. The absences will force the Sounders – climbing in the standings the past few games – to experiment with some different player combinations and give the injured vets some extended rest ahead of the stretch run. Both players were injured in Sunday’s 3-1 win at Colorado.

“We haven’t had a chance to see Cristian Roldan and Gustav (Svensson) play together yet as defensive midfielders, so this will give us that opportunity in places we see both of those guys fitting in well,” Lagerwey said of possibilities once Roldan returns from Gold Cup action with the U.S. Men’s National Team.

Lagerwey knows the team dodged a bullet of sorts with Alonso, who injured a tendon in the same knee during last year’s MLS Cup championship run and needed time to get healthy this season. This latest setback is perilously close to the exact spot in the knee where Alonso’s last injury occurred, so the team is taking no chances.

The Sounders have newcomer Kelvin Leerdam ready to go at right back when the July 10 transfer window opens and can slide Brad Evans in at center back to offset Marshall’s loss. They won’t play another regular season game until July 19 when they host D.C. United and plan to use mostly non-starters in Saturday’s “friendly” match against German side Eintracht Frankfurt.

Somebody else who won’t be at Saturday’s game is Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer. He’s attending a U.S. Soccer coaching course in Nashville, meaning assistant coach Gonzalo Pineda will take over the team until his return next week.

Pineda agreed that while the Alonso and Marshall injuries aren’t a welcome development, it’s a relief they weren’t even more severe.

“These games are going to be a good opportunity to see other players at these positions and see how they do.”