At the start of this month, James Riley had been the iron man of Sounders FC.
The veteran defender had played in 22 of 23 MLS games for a total of 1,968 minutes – more than any other Seattle field player.
But then Riley injured an ankle in training and missed two league games before returning to his familiar starting spot Saturday in the Sounders’ 1-0 win at Chicago.
“It felt fantastic,” Riley said from the winning locker room. “I don’t think I’m 100 percent. Kudos to the guys around me, helping me out. ... I felt a little rusty early on. I thought I got some services in defensively. Just being able to move around like my nimble self, it felt good just to be back out on the field again and with the guys.”
The guys were equally happy to have him back.
“James has been a solid player for this club ever since he got here,” defender Patrick Ianni said. “But no matter who is back there, we have a good back line and good defenders on our team, and James did a good job on Saturday.”
The Sounders demonstrated their defensive depth in Riley’s absence, getting shutouts against Real Salt Lake and Columbus with Zach Scott filling in.
“I felt very comfortable with Tyson (Wahl) coming in, with Zach coming in – because they’ve done it the whole time: They did it last year, they’ve done it this year, that they’ve been able to step in in different situations and there was no ill effect because of it,” said goalkeeper Kasey Keller, who leads the club with 2,205 minutes played.
“And that’s what I’m proud of, and that’s what’s so great. We do have that character of guys that – sure they’re disappointed when they’re not playing – but when they’re picked, they step up and do a professional job.”
As the Sounders began preparations Monday for their CONCACAF Champions League visit from Marathon on Wednesday, it was Ianni who looked like the injured guy.
He had bumped heads with a Chicago defender on a corner kick Saturday and left the pitch briefly. Ianni returned with a bandaged head and a new numberless blue jersey to replace the bloodstained No. 4 he had worn during the collision.
He was sporting a notable black eye and six stitches in his left eyebrow Monday, causing coach Sigi Schmid to note that he looked like Rocky Balboa.
“Normal soccer,” Ianni said. “I thought the corner was going to get through. (Nate) Sturgis played a good ball, and I thought it might get through, and (Osvaldo Alonzo) ended up heading it. I didn’t quite end up seeing that part. ... It was one of those things where it hurt when it happened, and it looks bad for a few days.”
Ianni said he will be available Wednesday.
ADDED TIME
All Sounders training sessions this week will be held at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, even through the CONCACAF match and their league game Saturday will be played at Qwest Field. It has been the Sounders’ custom to practice once at Qwest before each game there, but Schmid said the team is familiar enough with the stadium and it is better to get them off FieldTurf for a while. ... Designated player Blaise Nkufo – who has scored four goals over the past two league games – took an excused absence Monday in order to spend the day with his family in Vancouver, B.C. He is scheduled to return in time for today’s training session.
Don Ruiz: 253-597-8808 don.ruiz@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/soccer
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