Clint Dempsey walked off his home field for the final time, some fishing rods in tow and the cheers of tens of thousands of fans echoing throughout the stadium.
As is his custom, the man tied for the all-time Sounders franchise lead in goals didn’t say anything during Saturday’s pregame ceremony. Instead, perhaps the greatest soccer player this country ever produced, his family by his side, saluted the crowd, clapped during video tributes and career highlights on the giant CenturyLink Field scoreboard and basked somewhat uncomfortably in the adulation.
For retirement ceremonies, it was short and sweet.