Seattle Sounders Quick Hit: Obed Vargas Ready For All-Star Debut, Surgery Updates
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The Sounders celebrate during a game against the Houston Dynamo on May 10 at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, Texas. (Logan Riely / Sounders FC Communications) [/caption]
The Seattle Sounders (10-6-7 W-L-D) finally have a week in between games after going 2-0-1 in their three fixtures last week. Despite less action, there are plenty of storylines bubbling as the Rave Green prepare for the final stretch of a busy MLS season. That sequence will be broken up by the upcoming Leagues Cup, in which Seattle is guaranteed to play three games in a week starting on July 31.
Let’s take a look at what the Sounders have going on ahead of Saturday's road trip against Atlanta.
Morris, João Paulo undergo surgery, both to return in 2025
Jordan Morris' condition has been a major storyline following Seattle's 3-2 win over San Jose on Saturday. The franchise's all-time leading goal scorer suffered an AC joint injury after colliding with Earthquakes keeper Daniel.
That surgery took place on Tuesday and was successful according to head coach Brian Schmetzer.
Given the severity of the injury, however, Morris will be in a sling and unable to practice for six weeks.
"It's a pretty significant injury because the healing process has to take, because soccer players are shoulder to shoulder. We don't want him to take another tumble, so we're going to have to be cautious when he does get back out on the grass," Schmetzer said.
The injury is a blow to the Sounders, who could use Morris' scoring expertise. The 30-year-old star has netted four goals in 10 games, with his 0.88 goals per 90 minutes leading the squad by a wide margin.
Schmetzer's crew was met with some good injury news in the interim, though. João Paulo, the veteran midfielder who was thought to be lost for the season with an ACL injury, is likely to return in 2025. When surgeons went in to repair his ACL on Monday in Los Angeles, they found it to be intact and instead cleaned up his meniscus.
Schmetzer is waiting for João Paulo to return to the Emerald City before he announces a firm timeline, but his best guess was six to eight weeks from the July 5 injury date.
"I'm just so happy and JP's obviously very happy, and his teammates are very happy," Schmetzer said.
While the veterans are sure to miss next week’s Leagues Cup action, the Sounders appear poised to add some much-needed depth for a playoff push in the fall.
All-Star Vargas Lands in Austin
A week after being named to his first All-Star Game, Obed Vargas practiced with the MLS All-Stars yesterday and participated in last night’s skills challenge on Tuesday in Austin, Texas. Vargas participated in the event alongside Sounders legend Clint Dempsey, who won the passing challenge as the MLS All-Stars defeated the Liga MX All-Stars in the six-game competition. The MLS All-Stars will take on the Liga MX All-Stars tonight in a game setting, but Vargas is focusing on soaking in the moment.
Vargas made his MLS debut for the Sounders on July 22, 2021 in Austin. The now 19-year old will mark another career milestone on a mid-July night in Texas.
“It’s exactly four years from my debut, so it’s actually kind of crazy, in the same exact place in Austin,” Vargas said to media after All-Star practice on Tuesday afternoon. “It means my career is heading in the right way.”
Vargas was selected by All-Star head coach and Austin FC skipper Nico Estévez after a solid beginning to the season in which the young midfielder has totaled the third-most progressive passes (107) and fourth-most progressive carries (34) on the team. Vargas is looking forward to playing alongside the league’s brightest stars.
“The most obvious names is going to be (Lionel) Messi and Sergio Ramos because they played in the highest level on the two biggest teams in the world,” Vargas said.
The MLS All-Stars will play the Liga MX All-Stars tonight at 6 p.m.
