“He’s looked good, he’s looked sharp, he’s looked strong,” Parkhurst said. “I don’t want to speak for anyone, but he’ll play sooner rather than later.”

Martino didn’t shed any light on how he will select 11 starters from a roster that may be the deepest in MLS with the returns of Nagbe, fullback Franco Escobar and midfielder\fullback Andrew Wheeler-Omiunu.

When Nagbe was healthy, the team used a 3-5-2 formation. Martino said he could bring that back. After Nagbe’s injury on June 24, Martino started using the 4-2-3-1 formation he used most of last season.

“It’s a challenge when you have as many talented players as we do and can all play in those positions, especially in the midfield,” Martino said. “We will see what we do.”