Clint Dempsey played on the Seattle Sounders 2014 team that won the Supporters’ Shield and was painstakingly close to winning the Western Conference Championship. He played on the 2016 team that, despite his extended absence to heart complications, improbably ran the gauntlet to the franchise’s first MLS Cup.
But this season, Dempsey is impressed with just how strong the 2017 Sounders are from top to bottom.
“It’s the most depth we’ve had since I’ve been here, and it’s exciting,” Dempsey said Friday ahead of the team’s huge clash with the Portland Timbers on Sunday night at CenturyLink Field (6:30 p.m. PT; FS1, KIRO Radio 97.3 FM, El Rey 1360AM). “We have a lot of competition for spots, which is pushing the quality and making sure the quality stays high on the team. It’s starting to become more difficult for the manager to make decisions because of the quality that is here.”
Dempsey has stepped up in big moments for club and country throughout his career and has left indelible marks on the most massive of stages. It’s no wonder why nine of his 45 career MLS regular-season goals have come against Seattle’s rival to the south, the most recent a 94th-minute dagger on June 25 that broke Providence Park hearts and helped 10-man Seattle escape with a crucial road point.
Dempsey’s clutch header at the death in Portland has galvanized the Sounders and has been the catalyst of the team’s record 10-match unbeaten streak.
“You get in a rhythm, get confidence,” Dempsey said of the club’s recent performances. “There’s communication there, good chemistry. [We’re] just moving the ball well and feel like we’re in a good place.”
The Sounders are unbeaten against the Timbers this season, including a 1-0 home win on May 27, but Sunday’s match will be the biggest of the three this year, as Seattle and Portland enter first and second in the Western Conference table, respectively. Three points would go a long way with single-digit games remaining in the regular season and could ultimately set the course for the final playoff standings.
“It’s always exciting to play against them,” Dempsey said of the Timbers. “It’s a rivalry game, so it’s huge for the city. There will be a great atmosphere. It’s a game that means a lot because of where we sit in the table, so we have to make sure we get the right result and stay ahead of them.”
