Nouhou won’t be playing in the Seattle Sounders’ playoff opener, after all. Despite telling head coach Brian Schmetzer that he was fit after suffering a shoulder injury in Cameroon’s World Cup qualifier, Nouhou is now out with an unrelated issue.
T-minus one training day for Sounders #MLSCupPlayoffs run. But defender Nouhou out due to “health & safety protocol.” Nico Lodeiro (knee) expected to be on the bench...
— Jayda Evans (she/her) (@JaydaEvans) November 21, 2021
The “health and safety protocol” usually indicates something Covid-19 related, but is a catch-all term that can be related to other things.