This isnt quite what Swedish midfielder Gustav Svensson envisioned when he transfered over to the Sounders a month ago.
A versatile veteran of several leagues, Svensson, 30, was seen as a stop-gap type who could spell other midfielders for a rest or due to injury. Maybe enter as a second-half substitute, even at a defender’s spot on occasion.
But nobody foresaw Svensson spending a full 90 minutes at the right fullback position this early on, as he did in the team’s final preseason game in Charleston, S.C., in place of injured defender Brad Evans. Now, with Evans confirmed out the next five-to-seven weeks with a strained calf muscle, Svensson is poised to open the season at that same right back spot this Saturday when the Sounders visit the Houston Dynamo.