TUKWILA, Wash. — Over the past 10 days or so, a cloud had been hanging over the Seattle Sounders. Short-handed from the very start of the season, there was an unease about who might be available for their next game on May 26.
Rather than prolong the angst, head coach Brian Schmetzer effectively ripped off the bandaid on Thursday by announcing that he had decided to let all three of his potentially World Cup-bound players join their national teams early. Although FIFA mandates that World Cup players must be released by May 20, MLS had obtained a waiver that would have permitted Schmetzer to keep Nicolas Lodeiro, Roman Torres and Gustav Svensson until May 28.