Eylander blocks a shot during Thursday's
practice at the Star Fire facility in Tukwila.
Greg Roth / NSS
In terms of the goal keeper situation, it is clear who is not starting this Saturday. That's Seattle's no. 1 keeper Kasey Keller, who's sitting out due to a red card in last Saturday's match against the Kansas City Wizards.
The depth chart gets a little interesting as the no. 2 keeper, Chris Eylander has been recovering from a torn PCL in his right knee, and no. 3 keeper Ben Dragavon isn't even listed on the roster. But Eylander appears healthy enough to play, the question is, does head coach Sigi Schmid agree?
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"No one has given me the final decision but I'm ready," Eylander said. "I am preparing and planning on playing in the game, absolutely."
No decision had been made on who's starting at keeper as of Thursday's practice.
The torn PCL is not a serious injury, it just takes rest and rehab. Eylander has worked weeks to rehab and strengthen the muscles around the knee, which takes stress off of the ligaments.
Eylander played a match against the Portland Timbers and gave up two goals in 60 minutes before Dragavon got a chance in net. He said he was pleased with his shot stopping but needed to work on his communication with the defenders.
"I needed to bring a little more intensity out of the game," Eylander said. "It is something that I have been working on the rest of the week."
The team had the opportunity to work out some of the kinks in training later on in the week. If he gets the nod, Eylander said he is mentally and physically ready to play this Saturday.
Meanwhile, Dragavon has a chance to start his first-ever MLS match, and he said he looks forward to stepping up to the challenge.
"A backup keeper's job is always to be prepared and ready to go when called upon," Dragavon said.
Reach Greg Roth at nextseasonsports@gmail.com
