Gustav Svensson won’t be in the lineup Sunday night when the Sounders take on the Portland Timbers at CenturyLink Field.
Svensson approached the Sounders a while back for permission to leave early ahead of playing for Sweden in upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifying games. The FIFA window for players to leave their MLS teams begins on Monday, but Svensson approached the team’s technical staff and worked directly with coach Brian Schmetzer and general manager Garth Lagerwey before being given permission to go on Saturday.
In other words, Svensson did things the correct way. That’s in stark contrast to left back Joevin Jones, who took off for Trinidad a week early without permission and only informed the Sounders about it via text message after he was already on foreign soil.