TUKWILA, Wash. – In Spanish, the verb recuperar means “to recover” or “to retrieve.” In soccer parlance, though, it has a more focused definition: to win the ball back from the opponent. For Seattle, there is no better recuperador than Osvaldo Alonso.
The tenacious defensive midfielder looks ready to return to the starting lineup after missing nearly two months with a nagging quad injury and his presence bodes well for the Sounders midfield going forward.
“Ozzie is probably our best ball-winner in the midfield,” said Seattle coach Sigi Schmid. “When you get Ozzie back onto the field he has the ability to win the ball back for your team, [or] as Bora [Milutinović] used to say, to ‘recuperar’ the ball.”
Alonso has only competed in eight MLS contests this season, a victim of an injury suffered May 8 against the LA Galaxy. He admitted that, in his characteristic eagerness to recover, he attempted to take the field too quickly and ended up re-aggravating the injury in a friendly against Boca Juniors on May 26.
It’s taken him this long to be fully fit again, although he’s featured as a substitute in Seattle’s last two league matches, a draw and a win.
Against D.C. United, Alonso was credited by his coach with helping turn the battle of midfield in Seattle’s favor after United inserted their new designated player, Branko Boskovic. Seattle ended up winning that game on a late Roger Levesque goal.
“The team benefits from getting him back,” said Fredy Montero. “He has the ability to recover the ball well. He never tires and no one works harder getting to the ball.”
The influence of the defensive midfielder has been missing and the Sounders have struggled in his absence. Including the match against Los Angeles, in which Alonso was first injured, Seattle are just 2-6-0 in league play with Alonso out of the lineup.
While a myriad of factors have contributed to the meager record, having Alonso back should bolster the Sounders as they attempt to make a playoff run. Even the player himself has seen the improvement in recent matches.
“Each game we are getting a little better. We won our [US] Open Cup game, and then our tie in Dallas and [the] win in DC,” Alonso said. “You can see we are getting better quick. I hope we can keep this up.”
While Alonso has been a force when he’s on the field, the extended time on the trainer’s table begs the question of whether he is simply too small for the league.
In a physical league like MLS, one could argue that his slight stature and thirst for contact inevitably lead to injuries. Listed generously at 165 pounds, Alonso’s aggressive playing style subjects his wiry frame to a great deal of punishment during a 90-minute encounter.
Seattle can ill afford to lose Alonso again, as fellow center midfielder Brad Evans has suffered a setback in his recovery from a minor knee injury. According to Schmid, Evans suffered a knock in his other knee earlier in the season against New York, which is starting to flare up.
There is no timetable on his return and Schmid said on Tuesday that he wants his player to “lay low a little bit and give it some time.”
That leaves the burden on Alonso, who looks set to start this weekend against the Colorado Rapids. Small or not, the scrappy midfielder will surely battle to help Seattle recuperar the ball and their winning form.
