It's rare to view jogging as a significant step forward, but for Seattle Sounders strike O'Brian White, that's the case. White was diagnosed with a potentially serious blood clot in his knee right around the same time Steve Zakuani went down with his season-ending broken ankle sustained in the Colorado Rapids game. White's injury was a bit of a slippery slope as doctors worked to diagnose the problem and put together a long-term plan to allow White to get back on the field for the Sounds.
Sounder at Heart had the news on White, as well as quotes from Sigi Schmid on the timetable for White's return. While Tuesday's developments were encouraging, White still has a long way to go, and there's no guarantee the clotting problem has been solved.
"They have got to see how he does with a little bit of activity, make sure that there is no coagulation that has taken place and things like that and then they can decide to push him further," said Schmid, noting White has a nasty looking scar on his leg. "It’s a definite step forward. The first stage was biking and he suffered no setbacks so today it was walking and jumping a little bit and we’ll see how he responds to that. Maybe light jogging is in his future in the next couple of days."
There's still no timetable on his return, and White may be out until July or longer. With only Nate Jaqua as the only option at target forward, Schmid has been forced to experiment tactically as he moves away from his typical formation. The Sounders are razor-thin at the holding forward spot, and White's return is anxiously awaited by supporters and players alike.
For more on White and the Sounders, head over to SB Nation's Sounder at Heart.