Despite the numerous reports to the contrary (and Martins' goodbye tweet), Seattle Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid said today that a deal to send Obafemi Martins to China's Shanghai Shenhua still hasn't been finalized. Schmid therefore couldn't comment on the deal's effect on the squad, as well as any possibility of a player being brought in to take Martins' Designated Player slot on the roster.
"There's nothing final on that, so I can't really say anything," he said.
Having to dance around the Martins news, Schmid said that as can be seen in Wednesday's 4-0 friendly win over the LA Galaxy, the Sounders stuck with a 4-3-3 formation--and it worked.