SEATTLE — Clint Dempsey is in one of the best runs of form of his career.
The 34-year-old Seattle Sounders forward scored the game-winner in a 1-0 win over Sporting Kansas City on Saturday when he headed in a pinpoint cross from Jordan Morris. Dempsey pushed his team-leading goal count to 10 and has six in his last five MLS matches.
Since June 25, Dempsey has seven goals and five assists in eight matches for club and country. He tied the all-time United States men’s national team record with his 57th strike on a free kick against Costa Rica before recording his 50th Sounders goal in all competitions on Saturday.
“He’s in a pretty good mood,” Head Coach Brian Schmetzer said with a smile. “[High Performance Director] Dave Tenney does a great job with getting the guys physically right, and we have a plan for Clint. It’s a long-term plan where we understand the importance of our team and what he brings to our team and also the other competition that he’s in which is the national team.
“Between the three of us, we’ve come up with a plan,” Schmetzer continued. “Clint has bought into the plan, and he’s training well. He’s in a good space mentally. The guy’s come back from a lot of adversity. We can see it.”
Dempsey admittedly didn’t get as many opportunities as he would have liked on Saturday because of how compact Sporting KC was in the middle of the pitch. SKC did an excellent job clogging passing lanes and making it difficult for Dempsey to operate in space, but he still stepped up when the Sounders needed him most.
“He took over this game in a different way,” midfielder Cristian Roldan said of Dempsey. “He didn’t touch the ball much, but he got that one chance and he made it. That’s what good goalscorers do, that’s what Clint does. He has 50 goals now with the Seattle Sounders and you can see why he’s so effective.”
Dempsey is inching closer to Fredy Montero’s all-time club record of 47 regular-season league goals and 60 in all competitions and Dempsey is showing no signs of slowing down. He now has at least 10 goals for the third different season with the Sounders and has his eyes set on even bigger milestones.
“The team moved mountains to get me here from playing at Tottenham, and I’ve been glad to chip in goals and help this team win and do some cool things,” said Dempsey, reflecting on his 50th goal. “I’m enjoying my time here, but there’s more to accomplish. I look forward to finishing the season strong and trying to repeat.”
