Lamar back; Ianni out
Lamar Neagle made his return to the training ground at Starfire on Tuesday, just in time to join the Sounders FC before they headed to Casa Grande, Arizona, for the second phase of 2013 training camp.
Neagle was welcomed back to the team where he has spent most of his four professional seasons, but head coach Sigi Schmid gave him a light load on the training schedule after a busy weekend that saw him fly across the country from Montreal to get back to Seattle. The Sounders traded for the Federal Way native on Sunday, sending an international roster slot to Montreal in exchange for a player that had five goals and two assists for Seattle in 2011.
“I’m happy to be home. It’s surreal,” Neagle said. “I’m ready to get started in Arizona.”
While the team was excited about the return of one of the locker room favorites, they also lost defender Patrick Ianni, who suffered a fracture in his right foot. Schmid said he expects him out 4-6 weeks, but isn’t about to take drastic measures to fill in for his inured center back.
“I think we have some internal options we can look at, in terms of players who can play there. If something looks light, we won’t ignore it, but we have to focus on the long haul,” he said. “We can’t just focus on what’s going to happen at the beginning of the season. We want to make sure the team is right for the long haul and the team is right at the end of the season. We can’t do something that solves an immediate problem and creates a longer term one.”
The Sounders flew to Phoenix on Tuesday and will begin training in Casa Grande, Arizona, on Wednesday morning.
Neagle was welcomed back to the team where he has spent most of his four professional seasons, but head coach Sigi Schmid gave him a light load on the training schedule after a busy weekend that saw him fly across the country from Montreal to get back to Seattle. The Sounders traded for the Federal Way native on Sunday, sending an international roster slot to Montreal in exchange for a player that had five goals and two assists for Seattle in 2011.
“I’m happy to be home. It’s surreal,” Neagle said. “I’m ready to get started in Arizona.”
While the team was excited about the return of one of the locker room favorites, they also lost defender Patrick Ianni, who suffered a fracture in his right foot. Schmid said he expects him out 4-6 weeks, but isn’t about to take drastic measures to fill in for his inured center back.
“I think we have some internal options we can look at, in terms of players who can play there. If something looks light, we won’t ignore it, but we have to focus on the long haul,” he said. “We can’t just focus on what’s going to happen at the beginning of the season. We want to make sure the team is right for the long haul and the team is right at the end of the season. We can’t do something that solves an immediate problem and creates a longer term one.”
The Sounders flew to Phoenix on Tuesday and will begin training in Casa Grande, Arizona, on Wednesday morning.
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