Obafemi Martins is on the verge of returning to action for Seattle Sounders following close to two weeks on the sidelines with a knee injury.
The former Inter Milan and Newcastle United striker missed the Sounders' unsuccessful CONCACAF Champions League semi-final legs with Santos Laguna this week and last but is back in training with the rest of the squad ahead.
Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid was hopeful of having Martins available for the weekend's home clash with New England Revolution but was remaining realistic.
"We'll see," Schmid told reporters. "He feels a little better, but I'm not sure if it's enough for him to play.
"We have to make sure he's healthy. We have to make sure our guys are healthy before we put them in there. We can't shortchange ourselves and put guys on the field who aren't healthy or aren't in position to give 100 percent. We need players on the field who can give 100 percent all the time.
"As a pro player, you're never fully 100 percent, you're playing at 90 percent or whatever. But everyone understands what I mean: players that are prepared to give what they can give in a game. With Oba, we've got to get him to that point and then we can talk about integrating him into the team."
