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Rosales will miss second leg vs. RSL

MauroRosales (Getty)

The Seattle Sounders sorely missed injured playmaker Mauro Rosales during their 3-0 Western Conference semifinal first leg loss to Real Salt Lake, and now it appears the Sounders won't have Rosales for their crunch second-leg clash at CenturyLink Field on Wednesday either.

Seattle head coach Sigi Schmid told the Seattle Times that Rosales will not play on Wednesday as he is still dealing with the knee injury he suffered in the Sounders' regular season finale against Chivas USA.

The Sounders offense struggled badly against RSL in the first leg, failing to produce a single shot on goal during their blowout loss, and must now find away to erase a three-goal deficit without their leading assist man and creative spark.

The Seattle Times also reported that Rosales may be available for a Western Conference final if Seattle can manage to come back and beat RSL.

Think Seattle can come back without Rosales? Who do you see stepping up for the Sounders in his absence?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Rosales was getting minutes in, plain and simple. A player needs real minutes to regain fitness, you don’t get it back playing small-sided mid-week or on a bike.
    I really regret the original injury; last few minutes, game out of reach, tackled hard from behind.
    I’ll be there Weds night, hoping against long odds that history is made.

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  2. Rosales should never have taken the field in the meaningless game against Chivas. What was Sigi thinking? The three players (LeToux, Nyassi, Montano) that could be utilized right now in the playoffs were all shipped out of town for not being Sigi ‘men’ a la Pete Vagenas / Brad Evans. So instead..he starts Neagle, Ochoa, Evans…not exactly players that other teams will fear. Even Jaqua should have gotten the start ahead of Ochoa. Sigi has a history of bone headed roster/substitution decisions and has even admitted as much. Thankfully, Adrian Hanauer keeps the talent in place, but Sigi just doesn’t seem to have the ability to maximize its use. Other than Zakauani, the team hasn’t had one draft pick pan out.

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  3. Rosales would help a lot, but if the Sounders don’t get better wing and FB play, it doesn’t matter. Gonzales and Riley were rubbish. Parke and Alonso had to cover the sidelines because they were so bad.

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  4. Agreed. Sitting back and inviting pressure is a death wish. I cringe every time I see the prevent defense in the last minutes of a football game. If I were RSL and Kreis, I go out and try to do the exact same thing as Saturday.

    It just feels like Seattle needs to do something different without Rosales in the lineup. Watching the last few weeks without him, it feels like the Sounders are just staying a float, not confidently controlling a game like earlier in the year. This is a game were staying a float isn’t going to get it done.

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  5. vs Seattle? Seriously? When did Sabo’s diving impact the direct outcome of this game? When he tapped in Wingert’s cross/goal? When he backheeled a goal around Parke? Hmmm…Take off your green-goggles and realize that ALL players look to gain an advantage GASP! even your SOUNDERS!!!! “Dive”ies has more than two. Look at the guys PK’s. You don’t sound so wise my friend…

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  6. “Davies has affected more games with his diving than Sabo ever has.” Not really. Davies affected 2 and so did Sabo, vs Seattle and San Jose.

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  7. Knowing me, I probably would retaliate and then get a red card haha. Sometimes when you are in the middle of a game, emotions get the better of you. I definitely wouldn’t flop to the ground like we saw with Marquez at the end of that NY-LA game though. I tried to find a clip somewhere with the Alonso incident, but I couldn’t find anything. There were numerous times in that game though that Saborio was barely touched and all of a sudden you see him go straight to the ground. There was one right at the beginning of the game where a Sounders defender came up and put their hand on his back and then he goes diving like the defender ran into him at 100% full speed. There was also a play where Olave completely checked Ochoa into the boards and it wasn’t even called a foul. That was moments after the Saborio dive I just mentioned. Where is the consistency?

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  8. Too bad – MLS is much better when players like Rosales are on the field.

    It would be nice if someone at DC took a page out of Kries’ book at SLC (re: Saborio and diving) and had a discussion with Woolard about professionalism and the right way to play the game. Don’t think I’ll hold my breath though.

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  9. Can you honestly say you wouldn’t go down too if placed in same position as Sabo? Don’t say you’d retaliate because that always end up being heavily punished. Sabo has to get the refs attention so his opponent can be punished. It was also hard to tell from the replay if he went down soft anyways.

    There’s no excuse for players deliberately putting hands on another players face and neck. Alonso was extremely fortunate to only get a yellow.

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  10. I’ve seen about 10 RSL games this year. I saw a decent amount last year as well. What I can say with absolute certainty is that Saborio goes down extremely easy for a guy with size. He also frequently comes in late on tackles and that is exactly what happened when the incident with Alonso happened. I will agree with you on Leo, he is always pulling that crap after he gets beat. Probably a big reason why Wahl was the preferred LB for most of the season. As far as Montero goes, he went down extremely easy in 2009, but has gotten way better about it. He usually gets completely mugged before ever getting calls now. He may have knicked Rimando, but it was not nearly as bad as he tried made it look…anyways, this all started because Saborio came in late on Alonso. Even though Alonso put his hands on his neck, Saborio went flopping like a fish the second he felt Alonso’s hand. I’m sure you know Saborio is a flopper and a head case, but you would never admit it on here.

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  11. Have you watched all of RSL’s games this year? you can’t say its typical when your sample size is 3 games (if you even watched all the times they met). It’s naive because you don’t think Montero tries to get a call during a game? Well at least in games he actually gets to touch the ball…Not to mention your OWN SOUNDERS were the one’s with some of their own cheap shots and unprofessional behavior. Seriously, Gonzalez taking out Williams in the box (watch MLS highlights) or Montero kicking at Rimando’s shins from behind after he picked the ball up? Oh yeah but I’m sure Rimando had it coming to him…Anyways, good luck.

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  12. Kries won’t just sit back and defend. RSL wants to hold the ball and make the defense chase and will welcomeSounders open play because it opens up for RSL goals.

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  13. What does Saborio diving have to do with me growing up? Of course I remember Ljungberg. I couldn’t stand the guy after about 2 months of seeing him play. I also don’t see how you can say I’m holding a grudge. That dive I referenced didn’t have any impact on me. It was a reference, nothing more than that. Can you not admit that he dives and goes down incredibly easy? I said I can understand why Alonso lost his cool. One minute after he scores his goal, he comes in late on Alonso. Typical Saborio. Alonso didn’t take kindly to it and reacted. I’m not sure what you are confused about.

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  14. Didn’t you know? Only RSL players get suspended after the fact without a broken bone to prove the foul.

    It’s not like ramming your hands into an opponents throat should be a red card.

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  15. Do you remember Ljunberg? Spent more time on the ground looking for a call than anyone I can remember. Grow up, he’s been disciplined, Kries told him that its not acceptable on his team. Every forward does it at one time or another so to hold a grudge is naive. Look at Charlie Davies or DeRo if you want REAL examples of divers. Davies has affected more games with his diving than Sabo ever has.

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  16. Ouch, it was suspected, but actually hearing confirmation is a bummer.

    As much as I want him to be a spark off the bench for the last 20 minutes (at least), it is probably wise not to push him. Boo.

    So who needs to step up in his place? The easy answer is everyone. Rosales’ creativity, skill and effort aren’t replaceable by anyone on our roster, so everyone needs to chip in (and RSL needs to have a bad game)

    I don’t know how I feel about changing the formation, but clearly we need to bring the offense. Maybe a 4-3-3 with Montero a bit withdrawn, where he tends to migrate to receive the ball anyway. Keep 4 backs to allow Riley and Wahl (better service than Gonzalez) to keep getting forward on the wings.

    Fucito Ochoa

    Montero

    Fernandez Evans

    Alonso

    Wahl Riley

    Hurtado Parke

    At least we still have hope, albeit slim.

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  17. His goal was nice, I didn’t say anything about that. If you watch the guy play though, he is always throwing in little cheap shots and then going down like he was sniped whenever he is touched. Do you remember earlier this year when he was suspended for diving?

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  18. Yup, this season was one disappointment after the other. N’Kufo suddenly decides that, no, I really don’t want to have to work for it, so leaves; Zak goes down with a season ending injury; OBW emerges as a talent, only to go out for the season with what has to be termed the most bizarre injury of 2011; and, finally, Rosales is taken out in a senseless act of aggression by yet another MLS thug.

    Let’s hope things really do even out over time.

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  19. Protected how? First of all, every player in the league should be protected equally and second of all, this is a physical, contact sport and injuries happen. They can only be protected so much.

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  20. Alonso lost his cool, but I can understand why. I’m surprised he didn’t go after Saborio sooner with the way that diving flop artist plays. Nothing worse than a dirty diver.

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  21. It really is a testament to Seattle’s depth that they finished where they did with no Zakuani or Nkufo/White. I think losing Rosales might be a hurdle too big to overcome.

    I look forward to the day this league’s playmakers are better protected. I.e. never.

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  22. Lloyd: What do you think the chances are of a guy like you and a girl like me… ending up together?
    Mary: Well, Lloyd, that’s difficult to say. I mean, we don’t really…
    Lloyd: Hit me with it! Just give it to me straight! I came a long way just to see you, Mary. The least you can do is level with me. What are my chances?
    Mary: Not good.
    Lloyd: You mean, not good like one out of a hundred?
    Mary: I’d say more like one out of a million.
    [pause]
    Lloyd: So you’re telling me there’s a chance… *YEAH!*

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  23. He reinjured the leg against San Jose that probably wasn’t completely healed from a terrible tackle in the DC game.

    There goes the small chance Seattle had.

    Someday we will see the playmakers in this league make it through a whole year with out being hurt by opponents.

    Get healthy and be ready for a CCL run in the late winter.

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