Seattle Sounders FC star forward Raúl Ruidíaz will be sidelined for at least four weeks after suffering a right hamstring strain, head coach Brian Schmetzer told reporters after Friday's training session at Lumen Field.
The 32-year-old Peru international suffered the injury during Seattle's 4-1 loss at the Portland Timbers in Matchday 8 on the same play he scored his team's lone goal. He underwent an MRI on Thursday that revealed the strain, and now could return for games in late May.
"He will be out for about four weeks, maybe five," Schmetzer said. "He does have a strained right hamstring. It wasn’t good news, and I feel for him, because he’d scored two goals and was back in a good run of form, so it was bad news yesterday."
The injury leaves Seattle without one of the league's most lethal strikers, as Ruidíaz has racked up 61 goals in 103 regular-season games since his 2018 arrival from Liga MX side Morelia. He's dealt with hamstring issues dating back to last season, when he was limited to just 18 games with a similar injury.
With Ruidíaz returning to fitness at the beginning of the season, the Sounders turned to US international Jordan Morris as their lead forward to positive returns. The homegrown product currently boasts a Golden Boot presented by Audi-leading eight goals heading into Matchday 9. Offseason arrival Héber (trade from NYCFC) has also gotten off to a strong start, scoring two goals in his first 181 minutes this season.
With Morris returning from USMNT duty where he played nearly the full match in a 1-1 midweek draw against Mexico, Héber figures to draw the start when the Sounders host Minnesota United FC on Saturday (10:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).
