Originally published Friday, February 27, 2009 at 12:00 AM

Sounders FC's Taylor Graham sidelined by broken bone in foot

Defender had been dealing with pain in his foot but continued to practice and play. X-rays revealed a fracture of a bone in his big toe.

By José Miguel Romero

Seattle Times staff reporter

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Sounders FC defender Taylor Graham, who had been working with the first unit in practices and exhibition games, is out indefinitely with a broken bone in his big toe.

Graham, who plays central defender and is one of the more vocal players on the field, had X-rays taken of his foot by club medical staff Monday, a day before the team left for training and exhibition games in Argentina. The X-rays revealed a fracture of the tibial sesamoid, a bone in the middle of the big toe.

Graham's return is uncertain, pending another examination when the team returns to Seattle next weekend, according to the team. It's not clear when the injury occurred. Graham has been dealing with foot pain since at least the beginning of the month but continued to practice and play.

The former United Soccer Leagues Sounder has appeared in five of the team's six exhibition games, making three starts.

He is in Argentina with the team, where his ability to speak Spanish is bridging the linguistic gap between teammates Fredy Montero, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and Osvaldo Alonso and the rest of the team.

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

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