Clint Dempsey is indeed starting in his usual midfield position Sunday as the Sounders head into the new Banc of California Stadium to take on the expansion Los Angeles FC side.
But the reason for Dempsey’s re-insertion in the Starting XI could have more to do with an ailing Sounders backline than anything else. Center back Chad Marshall has been ruled out with a sore neck after some collisions last weekend, forcing Gustav Svensson to bump back a line in his place. That forces Cristian Roldan to bump back into Svensson’s defensive midfield spot and frees up an attacking midfield vacancy for Dempsey to slip into.