Portland Timbers got an important 1-2 away win against the Seattle Sounders on Sunday night, ending their concerning streak of three games without a win. However, the victory came with a steep price as their star midfielder suffered a potentially serious knee injury.
Blanco got injured less than two minutes after the opening whistle after an uncomfortable collision with Sounders’ midfielder Joao Paulo. The 32-year-old Argentinian couldn’t leave the field on his own and had to be taken off with stretchers.
Speaking with reporters after the game, Timbers’ coach Giovanni Savarese said that the team still doesn’t know the extent of Blanco’s injury.
“We will see tomorrow after we evaluate every possibility,” Savarese explained. “We will understand a lot more about what happened.”
Sebastian Blanco has been Portland’s best player this season, contributing with four goals and six assists in thirteen games. He was especially impressive during MLS is Back Tournament, leading the Timbers’ to the trophy while winning the MVP honors in the process.
Despite being without Blanco for the major part of the match, Timbers managed to play a great match and get the win against Seattle with goals from Eryk Williamson and Felipe Mora. Kelvin Leerdam scored for the Sounders.
“Seba is a very important player for us, and being able to continue was difficult, but the team showed once again that when we put our minds into working together when we stay disciplined and execute the plan in our style of play, we can achieve great things,” Savarese added.
