With rest, and being able to concentrate just on the Sounders, it could be a big year for Clint Dempsey
Here was Clint Dempsey, free and refreshed, showing why he’s such a big deal.
In the 25th minute of the Sounders FC season opener, the superstar forward split two New England defenders, spinning between them and drawing contact from Juan Agudelo, who kicked Dempsey in the heel as he made his move on the left side of the box. It led to a penalty kick, which Dempsey easily converted for the Sounders’ first goal of 2015.
And how about the nifty pass from Dempsey in the 41st minute, which led to Tyrone Mears’ deft cross to Obafemi Martins, who leapt tree high to knock in a header for a 2-0 lead?
Then, in the 67th minute, Dempsey tapped in an easy goal after a beautiful pass from Marco Pappa led to a textbook assist from Martins.
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Dempsey’s two goals highlighted a surprisingly complete Sounders performance in a 3-nil victory over the New England Revolution. Rarely does a team look so sharp in an opener, especially against a quality opponent. It was billed as a first glance at two teams that could meet in the MLS Cup, and while the Revolution played without two of its best players, the Sounders also were missing glue guy Osvaldo Alonso.
Still, it was an impressive win, maybe not quite a statement victory because of the absences, but an ideal start to a season in which nothing less than hoisting the MLS Cup will be satisfying.
And for Dempsey, it was perhaps a glimpse of the dominance he might show this season. This isn’t a World Cup year; he won’t be pulled in so many different directions. The long year left him battling fatigue in the second half of the MLS season last year, but now he can put his energy into the Sounders.
It just might lead to the MVP-caliber year that we all expect.
“I think you’re going to see more from him this year,” Sounders FC coach Sigi Schmid said. “He was not able to get a break last year. This offseason, Clint needed that break mentally and physically. I think he’s capable of doing more than last year.”
It’s not that Dempsey was bad a year ago. He was an all-star and finished seventh in the MLS with 15 goals. But the standard is so ridiculously high for him. It’s impossibly high sometimes.
He’s on a small list of Seattle stars who must live up to an outrageous standard. The list includes Felix Hernandez, Robinson Cano, the Seahawks’ acclaimed Legion of Boom and Marshawn Lynch. The Storm’s Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson are aging stars, but they’ve been there. Washington women’s basketball star Kelsey Plum is almost there, as is Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.
That’s not merely a list to highlight the biggest and best stars. It’s a list that means, if you don’t play at a superhuman level, if you’re not the best at what you do, then people are wondering what’s wrong with you. These players can’t just be all-stars. They must be the star. They can’t just have great seasons; they must be great all the time, especially during the most high-pressure points of the season.
Dempsey, as the best men’s soccer player in the United States, has dealt with the pressure gracefully for years. He says he does feel refreshed this season, but he offers no excuses for having to grind through the end of last season.
“I thought after the World Cup, I was run down,” Dempsey said. “But I got back and the team helped me work through it, and I wasn’t going to make it an excuse. At the end, we came up one goal short (of the MLS Cup). Now, I feel refreshed, and it’s great to get to go through the whole preseason with the team, and now we can build on our first win of the season.”
This is only Dempsey’s second full season with the Sounders. There’s plenty more he can do, and the chemistry with his teammates will be only stronger. The Dempsey-Martins combination will only be more potent this season.
Martins is coming off a season in which he finished second in the MVP voting. As skilled as he is, Dempsey might have another gear. Imagine what the Sounders can be if they both have their best seasons in the same year.
“The two of them, the stuff they pull off, is unique and special,” Schmid said.
Expect more unique and special as the season progresses.