TUKWILA, Wash. – The Seattle Sounders may have to make due without star forward Obafemi Martins for at least one more game.
Martins was held out of Sounders practice at Starfire Soccer Complex once again on Tuesday, marking the third straight training session he has missed dating back to last week. Martins, who is nursing a tibial contusion, also missed Seattle’s 2-0 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday with the injury.
Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid confirmed that Martins’ status is currently up in the air for Seattle’s game this weekend, a home matchup against Sporting Kansas City (10 pm ET; MLS LIVE).
“[Martins] looks unlikely for this weekend,” Schmid told reporters after Tuesday's practice. “He’s in the gym and working, but he can’t get on the field yet.”
The prospect of playing without Martins, last year’s leading goal scorer for Seattle and MLS MVP runner-up, is obviously not ideal for Schmid and the Sounders. But it's not like the cupboard is bare. Reserve forward Chad Barrett filled in quite capably in Martins’ absence against Vancouver, netting both Seattle goals en route to being named MLS Player of the Week.
“You don’t want to rush somebody back in, you’ve got to wait until they’re healthy” Schmid said. “You can’t force somebody to play. Obviously Barrett doing well makes it easier.”
Barrett said he’s ready to look past the attention he’s received following the breakout effort in Vancouver and focus on the possibility that he’ll be given another start in the event that Martins is held out.
“It’s kind of overwhelming,” Barrett said. “You haven’t really done anything all year and then all of the sudden you have a good week and you’re doing interviews and all that stuff and I’m pretty much back to where I was circa 2011.
“My main objective is just to come in and help the team and fill the void that Oba left. That’s a big void to fill, but I think I did a pretty good job of it [against Vancouver].”
If Barrett does get the start against Kansas City, he’ll get a chance to repeat some late-game heroics from last season. It was Barrett who knocked home the dramatic game-winning goal in his first match as a Sounder in Seattle’s 1-0 season-opening victory over SKC last year.
“Great memories back here playing against them,” Barrett said. “Obviously, I’d love to have something like the same result. I’d love to have a result that’s more comfortable than last year and not leave it until the 94th minute. It seems like we have their number, but we definitely don’t want to leave it for late-goal dramatics again.”
