TUKWILA — Raul Ruidiaz rejoined the Sounders on Thursday after an unsatisfactory experience with his Peru national team. The striker suffered an apparent ankle injury Tuesday in his first start for the team since 2020, subbing off in the 12th minute in the friendly against El Salvador.
A more definitive evaluation is expected to be shared Friday, but Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said it’s “more likely than not that he won’t be able to play” Sunday for the club’s final regular-season road match against Sporting Kansas City. Ruidiaz will undergo an MRI and treatment for what is either a deep ankle bruise or ankle sprain.
“(Raul) understands the importance of the game,” Schmetzer said of Seattle needing an outright win in order to remain in the playoff hunt, although the Sounders could be eliminated before kickoff if Los Angeles and Minnesota win their matches Saturday and Portland defeats Los Angeles FC in a matinee matchup Sunday. The Sounders-SKC kickoff is set for 2:25 p.m. PT at Children’s Mercy Park.
“We’ll take Raul on the trip and if he can manage the pain, if it’s just an ankle sprain, they can sometimes wrap that up,” Schmetzer continued. “We just want to rule out anything more serious. He’s in a good mood, so that tells you something.”
The Sounders made “respectful” requests to keep Ruidiaz through the international break. He leads the club with nine goals and Seattle (12-16-4) needed a win against FC Cincinnati at Lumen Field on Tuesday to increase their postseason chances. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Peru failed to qualify for the FIFA men’s World Cup in Qatar this fall, former coach Ricardo Gareca not calling up Ruidiaz for the final qualifying matches earlier this year. Gareca was replaced by Juan Reynoso in August.
Reynoso is familiar with Ruidiaz’s talents and reportedly tried to lure him to play for Liga MX power Cruz Azul last winter. Ruidiaz signed an extension with the Sounders and scored a brace in the CONCACAF Champions League final win against Pumas UNAM.
Ruidiaz, 32, was hampered by hamstring injuries during the MLS summer months. He scored a brace in a win against Austin FC earlier this month but was contained in a loss against Vancouver before his national team call-up. Ruidiaz played a total 33 minutes for Peru.
“It was a longshot,” Schmetzer said of retaining any of the internationals. “Specifically, in Raul’s case, that was (Reynoso’s) first camp. He was not going to let one of his players go his first camp. He couldn’t set that precedent for himself. We understand.”
Seattle’s other internationals also had mixed experiences with their national teams but are available for selection Sunday. U.S. men’s national team forward Jordan Morris was an unused substitute Tuesday and played 45 minutes in the loss against Japan last week.
El Salvador’s match against Honduras was canceled, but team captain Alex Roldan played the full 90 in the loss to Peru on Tuesday. La Selecta didn’t qualify for the World Cup.
Cameroon defender Nouhou started both of his nation’s losses to South Korea and Uzbekistan for a total of 177 minutes. He should be named to the Indomitable Lions’ World Cup roster.
Ecuador defender Xavier Arreaga was an unused substitute in his nation’s goalless draws against Saudi Arabia and Japan, making his World Cup chances questionable. Ecuador plays Qatar to open the tournament in November.
Private talk
Arreaga greeted media after training at Starfire Sports on Thursday but was not available to discuss the apparent transphobic illustration he reposted to his Instagram stories earlier this month. Schmetzer did address the backlash with Arreaga before training but didn’t share the depths of the conversation.
“We had a good discussion,” Schmetzer said. “We’re not in the business of telling Xavi what to think. He’s his own man, but we do want to guide him and council him and try and help him when it comes to his social media account. That’s all we can do.”
Schmetzer didn’t elaborate when asked Arreaga’s intentions or interpretation of the illustration, which showed a television set beaming rainbows into the heads of two children while holding a pair of blue pants in front of the girl and pink skirt in front of the boy. Another pair of arms from the set are coiled around adult figures in the background and covering their mouths.
During the entire FCC match on Tuesday, the Brougham End supporters’ section at Lumen Field waved flags that represented majority of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum, including the Trans Pride Flag (light blue, light pink and white).
“I don’t want to mischaracterize my conversation with Xavi and I’ll probably keep that private,” Schmetzer said. “But no, I don’t think he meant it in any sort of demeaning way whatsoever.”