The potential return of star forward Clint Dempsey to the Sounders is one of the major storylines unfolding in this winter’s training camp. Dempsey has been out since last September after being diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat and his ability to resume his career remains a question mark at best.
But he took a step towards that goal by suiting up for 30 minutes in the first half of Saturday’s exhibition opener against Portland in Tucson, Az. The 1-1 draw went about as expected for exhibition openers in any sport — with few regulars participating in the second half and very little to glean off the game itself when it comes to foreshadowing team performance once the matches start to count for something.