PORTLAND -- Seattle Sounders forward Clint Dempsey scored his ninth career goal against the Portland Timbers on Sunday evening, a 94th-minute equalizer that silenced Providence Park and earned shorthanded Seattle its most hard-fought point of the season.
When asked whether he likes scoring against Portland specifically, if there's another gear he accesses facing the Timbers, he smirked.
"I like scoring against everybody," he said.
The header off a perfect cross from Roman Torres was Dempsey's fifth tally of the season, which is tied for the team lead with Will Bruin. Dempsey began on the bench for rest on Sunday due to fixture congestion, but he entered early in the second half and immediately gave the Sounders another attacking element. He came on to a chorus of boos and jeers from the Timbers Army, but he shrugged them off with a nonchalance only a player of Dempsey's caliber can.
"It's just whatever," Dempsey said about his cold response from the Portland faithful. "It's motivating to try and silence the crowd, and I was able to do that."
Watching from the sidelines in the first half, Dempsey was pleased with the team's performance and how it handled the tough road environment. When the game turned on its head in the final few minutes before the halftime break after Brad Evans was sent off and Portland bagged two quick goals, Dempsey was impressed with how Seattle's confidence never wavered.
"We wanted to show character and show fight and try to get something from the game even though we have a man down," Dempsey said. "Credit to the guys, they fought hard and we were able to do it.
"In a big game like this against your rivals," he continued, "to get a point with a man down that's something that these fans will remember."
