Seattle Sounders forwards Clint Dempsey and Jordan Morris recently returned to the Emerald City following a week of international duty with varying results.
Dempsey led the U.S. men's national team to a 4-0 win over Guatemala after a loss on the road and Morris saw his Olympic dreams come to an end as the U-23 squad failed to qualify for Rio. On Tuesday, USMNT head coach Jurgen Klinsmann spoke about the pair and their return to Major League Soccer action.
Dempsey started Saturday’s match in the midfield and scored the decisive goal in a 1-0 victory over the Montreal Impact, the first win of the Sounders' season.
“It’s exciting because MLS is picking up the pace,” said Klinsmann. “Four games into the round, you want your players to stand out; you want your players to make a mark. It definitely happened with Clint over the weekend, Clint Dempsey scoring the decisive winner for the Sounders … Having that win now is very very important. It gives them a boost.”
Meanwhile, Morris has struggled to make his mark with the Sounders so far this season and came into the match as a sub on Saturday, rather than in his typical starting XI position. Klinsmann preached patience for the 21-year-old, who is in his rookie MLS season.
“I think it’s really important, for example in a case like Jordan Morris, that we are patient,” said Klinsmann. “That we understand that there is a player jumping from the college system into the pro system and obviously tremendously talented, that’s why he is with the national team program, but to give him time.”
Schmid seemed to do just that on Saturday, as he limited Morris' minutes and choose instead to utilize him as a substitute as he shifted Dempsey in the 4-3-3 formation.
“In the beginning, definitely will be a little bit of a rollercoaster still for Jordan, but over time he will settle in and he will become more consistent, so it will be all good," Klinsmann said.
Both Dempsey and Morris will head to Houston with the Rave Green for the team's nationally-televised match against the Houston Dynamo on Sunday (1 p.m PT; ESPN/KIRO 97.3 FM, El Rey 1360AM).
