Clint Dempsey Opens 2018 Account in Seattle Sounders Draw With Chicago Fire

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON (June 23, 2018) — Clint Dempsey has been patiently waiting for his first MLS goal of the 2018 season.

Hard work and patience paid off for the veteran striker on Saturday night. The Seattle Sounders were able to notch a hard-fought point against the Chicago Fire. The Fire earned the first goal of the match off Serbian international Aleksandar Katai.

Clint Dempsey Notches First MLS Goal of 2018 in Seattle Sounders Draw

Dempsey’s goal was the equalizer in a 1-1 victory.

The play was started by Kim Kee-Hee. The South Korean defender sent a long pass to right back Cristian Roldan. Roldan then found Harry Shipp who slotted a slick pass through to Will Bruin. Then, Dempsey found Bruin’s assist to send it past Fire goalkeeper Richard Sánchez.

Dempsey’s goal tied him with former Sounder Fredy Montero for the player with the most goals scored in regular season action for Seattle.

After the match, Dempsey said that it “felt good” to score.

“All I did was tap it in,” Dempsey said. “Anytime you get good service in the box, it’s always great as an attacking player because it gives you more opportunities to score.”

Dempsey is a realist and knows that it’s been a tough year. The Sounders are currently 3-3-8 and sit in 10th place in the Western Conference.

“It’s been a tough year for me personally, but for the whole team,” Dempsey said. “We’ve had a lot of injuries and it’s been difficult to create chances. We’re getting guys healthy and you can see we are creating more, hopefully, more goals will come for everybody.”

Roldan, who featured as right back for the first time this season, echoed Dempsey’s statements.

“At this point, we’re not doing well, that’s the reality, but there’s no giving up on this team,” Roldan said. “If you give up, you’re no longer on the team. You’re fighting for your job, and it’s a business at the end of the day. You’re fighting for your paycheck, and that comes with results and better play.”

Shipp ➡️ Bruin ➡️ Dempsey

Deuce with the record-tying equalizer! 👀 pic.twitter.com/1F1G7m1f7z

— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) June 24, 2018

Three Takeaways

Battle of the goalkeepers: Stefan Frei and Sánchez were forced to make some acrobatic saves for their respective teams. Frei managed to hold off a powerful Chicago Fire attack of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Luis Solignac, and Nemanja Nikolic. Both goalkeepers made six saves.
Schweinsteiger’s yellow card: The German national team legend was basically asking for referee Armando Villarreal to give him a yellow card. Schweinsteiger’s wish was granted in the 44th minute when he was shown a yellow for time wasting. However, the card should have been handed out earlier when he wouldn’t give Frei the ball for a goal kick.
Confidence booster for Seattle: It hurts to not have Kelvin Leerdam on defense or Gustav Svensson in the midfield, but Seattle has some confidence after this win. The team’s next test is against the Portland Timbers, the club’s biggest rival. Portland has been sturdy this season, but if Seattle plays like they did against Chicago, it will be a tight match.