The previous time Clint Dempsey sauntered onto the Starfire Sports Complex outdoor practice fields the day before a game in which he could actually play, the Sounders were in first place in the Western Conference with few clear-cut challengers.
A month and a half, a fourth-place Gold Cup finish and an MLS All-Star Game later, Dempsey finally returned to Tukwila on Friday on the eve of what one teammate referred to as Seattle’s biggest game of the season.
Sounders coach Sigi Schmid has been non-committal on whether Dempsey will start Saturday night’s match against the Vancouver Whitecaps at CenturyLink Field.