The change of the calendar to October has brought the usual rain and cold, as the Sounders resumed practice ahead of the oddly scheduled match with Houston this Monday. There were a couple of bits of good news ahead of the game. First, a Sounders spokesman confirmed that there will be no (American) football lines on the field for the game. The Seahawks play on Sunday, and there will apparently be no issues scrubbing the field on about 24 hours notice.

Secondly, Jordan Morris continued his recovery from ACL surgery, and there continues to be a chance that he could return for the playoffs. For the first time since his surgery, he participated in a bit of training with the team. To be sure, he was not involved with any major drills or scrimmages, but obviously it’s a good sign that his return continues without any setbacks.

When asked about a potential return, and whether Morris has been lobbying for a post-season cameo, Coach Brian Schmetzer said (half-jokingly), “I might be starting that campaign, not just him. I’d love to have him, but it’s a little early to tell.” As always, watch this space for future updates.

Harry Shipp continues to work on the side as he makes his way back from his hamstring injury, while Brad Smith appears to be a bit further away. We should get an update on their status over the next few days, but safe to say both are out for the Monday game. Schmetzer was also pleased with the performance of the first teasers who played for S2 on Wednesday, particularly Alex Roldan who got his first professional goal, and Lamar Neagle, who scored an excellent goal as well.

As to the other players who have been called up for their international team, there was no update on whether they’ll be unavailable for either the Houston or Orlando games (or both), but the team continues to speak to the national teams about the matter. Stefan Frei noted that whether or not the teams are missing players, that will not make the team take Houston lightly. “If guys get called up, it gives younger guys or fringe guys an opportunity, and it tends to be feisty games with hungry players, and (we) can’t take that lightly either,” Frei said.