Sounders FC's Fredy Montero happy to get back on field

Fredy Montero said he felt "useless" Sunday while watching his Sounders FC teammates get a draw in Houston against the Dynamo.

The pain of watching from home in Seattle was lessened by the fact that he was able to spend time with his family, which is visiting from Colombia. But the striker said he can't wait to get back on the field this weekend after sitting out Sunday's game due to an accumulation of yellow cards.

"When you're gone, you imagine all the things you could have done well in there with a teammate," Montero said. " 'Why didn't I do this or why didn't I do that?' But well, we know that on the field, you have to do your talking with soccer, with good plays, with goals and with the wins that we get."

Montero isn't used to watching from afar as the leading scorer for Sounders FC, but he had no choice. He did what he could, supporting his teammates while watching and "enviando energias positivas," Spanish for "sending positive energies."

"It was a little sad that I couldn't be there," he said. "I was glad, though, because I saw my teammates running after the ball like it was their last game. They gave everything, and thank God they got something in Houston against the leaders of our conference."

Montero said Saturday's home game against Toronto FC is critical for Sounders FC, which is trying to earn standings points to bolster its postseason hopes. Coach Sigi Schmid said the team will move Freddie Ljungberg, who played well in Montero's striker spot at Houston, back to center midfield and insert Montero at forward again.

"Any time you can put a guy back on the field who has scored 10 goals for you, that definitely helps the team," Schmid said.

"We have the obligation to win, and we hope that things go well so we can present the fans a win," Montero said.

Wahl tries to accept role

Defender Tyson Wahl went from being a starter and solidifying the left-back position to the bench when Sounders FC added Leo Gonzalez. Wahl hasn't played a minute in the past four games after starting nine straight.

"There's not a whole lot I can say. It is what it is," Wahl said. "He [Gonzalez] came in and obviously they had thought about him coming in for a while. He came in and we had a 4-0 loss [at San Jose], so I guess it was a good time for someone to get the knock, and I guess that happened."

Since the San Jose game, Gonzalez has played two full games and come out after 81 and 89 minutes in the other two regular-season matches he has started. Wahl has't even come on as a substitute. And Gonzalez has drawn praise from Schmid for his play since joining the team.

"What I've learned in the past couple of years is that you're never really secure, but at the same time you can't really stress about it," Wahl said. "It's a competitive profession."

José Miguel Romero: 206-464-2409 or jromero@seattletimes.com