On Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., the Sounders FC will face Argentina’s Boca Juniors in their first friendly match of the year at Qwest Field. The game will give Sounders fans an opportunity to see reserve players in action and possibly a new formation from Head Coach Sigi Schmid.
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Seattle (3-4-3, 12 points) has been struggling to stay relevant as they continue to hand out points to their Western Conference opponents. Thus far, in 2010 the Sounders are 0-2-2 against opponents from their conference.
The Sounders are 1-2-3 in their last six matches and recently lost their premier defender, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, due to a torn ACL in his left knee. Forward Nate Jaqua (lower abdominal fascial tear) has been on the Injured Reserve since the start of the season and Michael Fucito (knee contusion) joined the list on May 7.
The Sounders front office can count itself lucky that they are not facing a league opponent and that they have the chance to test a few different combinations of players before traveling to Colorado to face the Rapids (4-3-1, 13 points) on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time. There are no restrictions on player substitutes during friendly matches, so expect to see Sounders players you have not seen take the pitch all season.
Jeff Parke, who signed with the club May 13 after a yearlong courtship with the Sounders, will likely see action for the first time. Second round draft pick Michael Seamon, who joined the team for training last week following his May 15 graduation from Villanova University could see playing time. Despite being on the IR for MLS play, Nate Jaqua could see a few minutes to measure his recovery.
The Boca game will be the first time Seattle plays in their “Electricity” kit. The game will broadcast nationally on the Fox Soccer Channel and locally on channel KONG 6/16. The radio broadcast of the game can be heard on 710 AM (English) and 1210 AM (Spanish).
Reach Galen Helmgren at nextseasonsports@gmail.com
