SEATTLE — It had to be him, didn’t it?
After missing the entire Audi 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs with an irregular heartbeat and the first leg of this year’s Western Conference Semifinals because of suspension, Seattle Sounders forward Clint Dempsey recorded a second-half brace on Thursday to oust the Vancouver Whitecaps and lift the Rave Green to the Western Conference Championship for the second straight year.
“He’s been ready for a month,” Head Coach Brian Schmetzer said of Dempsey. “Big-time players make big plays. Tonight you saw Dempsey make some big plays. The first goal was a really good effort from distance. The second goal was his instincts inside the box.”
Dempsey tied and then surpassed Nicolás Lodeiro for the most postseason goals in franchise history with his fourth and fifth tallies. Dempsey also picked up right where he left off in the regular season where he recorded a team-high 12 goals, the second-most in his eight MLS seasons.
The Whitecaps failed to record a shot on goal at home in the leg, content to play to a scoreless draw without the Sounders’ best goalscorer and press their luck finding an away strike at CenturyLink Field. The Sounders, though, now have four consecutive home clean sheets and stifled a Vancouver attack that did not threaten the Seattle back line once.
“From the first moment, we showed that we were the team that wanted to find the game,” said Lodeiro. “They came to defend. There was only one team on the pitch that wanted to win, and it was us.”
The Whitecaps’ reticence to throw numbers forward allowed the Sounders plenty of time on the ball in the attacking third and a plethora of pockets in which Dempsey and Lodeiro could work.
“Once we got the first goal, it opened up the game and we kept getting better and better looks and it opened up from there,” said Dempsey. “Our goal this year has been to repeat and we kept that alive and we’re looking forward to the next game and next challenge. I’m excited to be playing now and I want to make the most of the time I have left.”
Added Schmetzer: “He’s worked at his craft for many years. His finishing and his ability to find goals in moments is tremendous.”
What makes Seattle’s defeat of Vancouver all the more impressive is how shorthanded the Sounders were. Osvaldo Alonso (quad), Víctor Rodríguez (quad), Gustav Svensson (hamstring) and Jordan Morris (hamstring) all played little or not at all over the two legs, in addition to Dempsey’s first-leg suspension. The Sounders have stepped up when called upon, honing in on Schmetzer’s “next man up” mentality he has instilled in the group.
Jordy Delem started and performed admirably alongside Cristian Roldan in the first leg. Harry Shipp, who had not played in three months, has started the last three matches and provided a productive asset in midfield. And now, with a 19-day break in between Thursday’s game and the first leg of the Western Conference Championship because of a FIFA international break, the Sounders have extra time to get their players healthy.
Schmetzer will indubitably be pleased with the amount of depth he’ll have restored by the time Nov. 21 rolls around, but perhaps the best part will be knowing he still has arguably the greatest United States international ever lining up in his attack.
“Ever since he’s come here, he’s scored some pretty big goals for this club,” said Schmetzer. “Tonight was one of those textbook nights where he shows up and he does what he does best.”
