OT: Clint Dempsey acquired by the Sounders

[Logicallylethal]

Anyone here a fan of soccer?

For those that are...Whew the Clint Dempsey signing is huge!

Sounders are climbing their way back in the standings...Eddie Johnson is back...Martins is steppin up...Neagle is proving to be a good player...now they add arguably the US national team's best player to the squad

Things are lookin good for the Sounders

 

[HaroldSeattle]

I'm not a fan , but it did sound like a huge deal to me.

 

[Banned 10x]

This is a huge signing, possibly the biggest signing in Seattle sports history.

 

[HaroldSeattle]

In Seattle sports history? Wow.

 

[RegentDenali]

Without a doubt it's one of the biggest signings in Seattle sports history. He's 30 and right in his prime. Captain of the USMNT. Unreal.

 

[Banned 10x]

In Seattle sports history? Wow.

Name one better?

 

[Logicallylethal]

Sounders have a real good chance at bringing home a title if this team can gel together

The talent level on this team now is unreal

Man...that moment when they introduced Dempsey and he took off his hoodie to reveal the sounders jersey...century link looked like it was rockin as loud as a Seahawks-49ers game

I've been to a couple games this year and attended a few last year and I gotta say the sounders crowd really rivals the Seahawks crowd in terms of passion and intensity

 

[RegentDenali]

Sounders are finally getting a roster that pays respect to the ridiculous attendance numbers they have compared to the rest of MLS. While MLS has done a solid job making sure no one major media market team turns into a Yankees situation, you got to let the big dogs make deals like this here and there to grow the stock of the league. MLS is really paying off in the development of the talent for the USMNT as well. It's obvious.

Hell yes to this deal. Huge. Go Sounders!!!

 

[Podunkparte]

Name one better?

It's a good question, but it just lacks a little punch in my opinion since the MLS is still kind of between the WNBA and the NHL as far as sports we really care about as a country of sports fans. The MLS Cup certainly doesn't have the importance as a World Series trophy or Lombardi trophy.

He's a world class player and in his prime, yes. It's a big signing for the team, but soccer is still a niche sport in the US so I have a hard time putting this as the most important signing in Seattle sports history. He may be the best player going to a Seattle team, but there are more high profile teams in Seattle sports than the Sounders.

 

[dude82]

I used to only follow soccer during the Olympics or the World Cup and even when I did, it was more a case of watching anything that could be called Team USA than any interest I had in soccer itself. It is/was the same thing with hockey and pretty much any sport that wasn't one of the Big 3 in this country. It wasn't until the Sounders, in their current form, came about that I started watching more than a few matches over the course of a week or two every 3 or 4 years. There are still things I don't quite understand about the sport (what constitutes off sides, for instance), but ever since I started watching the Sounders somewhat regularly (when they're on a channel that I actually get), I've become more interested in the sport.

I'm not so into the sport that I'll watch any match featuring any two teams that I happen to land on when I'm flipping channels and I'll probably never be that into it, but having the Sounders here and seeing the kind of support they've received from the beginning has been something else and it's great that that support has been rewarded by the front office with a move of this caliber.

 

[dredinis21]

Dempsey signing was HUGE and the Sounders now have one of the most talented rosters in MLS. Great pick up for them!

 

[octagondd]

Such a big move. Love it! Now he just needs to get in there and start gelling with Evans and Johnson. He can play forward, or play an offensive mid-field. Sounders have 3 or 4 games at hand, so they can make up ground quickly with a bit of a win streak. The timing is great and I hope to catch the match with the Galaxy here in LA. I went to the last one and the team just failed all over the field. I think it will be different this time.

 

[STBR 27]

Soccer is boring, any game the routinely ends in a tie (many times 0-0 tie) is not exciting enough for me. I have occasionally stumbled upon the Sounders and will watch for a few minutes just because it is a Seattle team, but the flopping in this sport is horrible, why do they act like such pussies all the time? Also, when they remove offsides and actually let the teams score, I bet many more people in the US will actually start paying attention.

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

Name one better?

Sam Perkins from the Lakers for next to nothing... That was a big signing for Seattle back in the day.. Demsey though is one of the best soccer players in the world so yeah it's pretty huge for the Sounders... Should make them the favorite this year...

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

Soccer is boring, any game the routinely ends in a tie (many times 0-0 tie) is not exciting enough for me. I have occasionally stumbled upon the Sounders and will watch for a few minutes just because it is a Seattle team, but the flopping in this sport is horrible, why do they act like such pussies all the time? Also, when they remove offsides and actually let the teams score, I bet many more people in the US will actually start paying attention.

It doesn't compare to our Football no doubt... BUT Soccer once you get into big games like in the world cup or championship runs it can get fun.. It's not about goals all the time and crazy action ... It's about anticipation and opportunities that a team gives itself... You start paying attention to those stats and you can see what team has the edge overall and usually wins... Not all the time because you gotta score but most of the time... That's why international broadcasts you see the announcers and fans just freak out when someone scores.... Scoring doesn't happen all the time .... Opportunities do though and the anticipation of a goal keeps fans on edge... The crazy part is soccer is the biggest sport around the world just not here in the USA... I think if USA soccer can ever get to a world cup finals the sport will grow here more... That being said it will NEVER replace the beauty of our game in the NFL.. Man I love the NFL...

 

[Logicallylethal]

Soccer is boring, any game the routinely ends in a tie (many times 0-0 tie) is not exciting enough for me. I have occasionally stumbled upon the Sounders and will watch for a few minutes just because it is a Seattle team, but the flopping in this sport is horrible, why do they act like such pussies all the time? Also, when they remove offsides and actually let the teams score, I bet many more people in the US will actually start paying attention.

See that's the problem with American sports fans...it's all about scoring scoring scoring. If Felix is in a 0-0 or 1-1 pitching duel with let's say Justin Verlander...is that boring because there's not alot of scoring? If the Seahawks were in a defensive battle where the score was 3-0 or 6-3 against a tough 49ers team...would that be boring?

Don't mistaken soccer's lack of scoring for lack of action or excitement. 0-0 games or 1-1 games are usually some of the most intense games, because at any moment with one defensive mistake, one great header, or a great lob that drops in and it could result in a goal that seals the game.

It's very similar to an intense pitcher's duel where one bad pitch or one great swing could result in a hr that seals the game.

Nothing matches the intensity of the game of football but to say that soccer is boring is just wrong. It's nonstop action where there are no stops in play and most importantly no commercial breaks. Have you ever watched an nba game and in the final 20 seconds there's like 5 commercial breaks lol

 

[HaroldSeattle]

See that's the problem with American sports fans...it's all about scoring scoring scoring. If Felix is in a 0-0 or 1-1 pitching duel with let's say Justin Verlander...is that boring because there's not alot of scoring? If the Seahawks were in a defensive battle where the score was 3-0 or 6-3 against a tough 49ers team...would that be boring?

Don't mistaken soccer's lack of scoring for lack of action or excitement. 0-0 games or 1-1 games are usually some of the most intense games, because at any moment with one defensive mistake, one great header, or a great lob that drops in and it could result in a goal that seals the game.

It's very similar to an intense pitcher's duel where one bad pitch or one great swing could result in a hr that seals the game.

Nothing matches the intensity of the game of football but to say that soccer is boring is just wrong. It's nonstop action where there are no stops in play and most importantly no commercial breaks. Have you ever watched an nba game and in the final 20 seconds there's like 5 commercial breaks lol

I can not comment on soccer since I don't watch it, but when it comes to baseball well let me say this....I got no problem watching Felix pitch or anyone else on that level, but when you have pitchers that take forever between pitches or throw like 10 throws to first base to hold a runner that isn't that far off the base and the game goes on forever....snoozeville.

 

[WizardHawk]

In terms of international name recognition his might be the biggest name, but I'd put the signing of Ichiro in his prime right up there. Baseball is a much bigger sport in this country and Japan. Add that the Mariners are (and were) a much more miserable franchise and that 'get' was bigger IMO.

Dempsey should give them the edge down the stretch to finally make some waves in the playoffs.

I've been to a few Sounders games and it is a different kind of crowd for sure, but it is much better to watch soccer in person than on TV.

 

[dude82]

I'll say this about soccer - and someone else alluded to it earlier - there may not be a ton of scoring and quite a few of the games will end in a tie (depending on the league or the stakes of the game), but outside of, I think, a 15-20 minute half-time, there are no significant breaks in the action unless there's an injury and it would have to be a fairly significant one (or a fairly significant acting job as soccer players are expert floppers) for play to stop for more than a minute.

I was watching the Sounders game the other day and one of the players got gashed above the eye and was bleeding. They stopped the game temporarily to see if they could stop the bleeding without needing to bandage him up and when they realized that they couldn't, he went to the sidelines to get patched up while the game resumed without him. When he was ready to go back out there, he just did. There were no official timeouts used to get him off the field or back onto it and the time that it took for them to assess the injury on the field was added on at the end.

If you're looking for a reason to like soccer despite its lack of scoring, that's the best reason.

 

[RegentDenali]

Dempsey will already be making his debut this weekend. Sweet.

But I agree. Sounders fans got their eyeballs rolling in the back of their heads because few saw a move like this coming and are still speechless. It's also a big move for MLS. Soccer still doesn't get the same media attention as the big 4 do. Football, baseball, basketball, and hockey here in the US. But it's still making big strides lately thanks to MLS. Our national team sure is benefitting as well from all the u20 and local talent development.

It's a win-win as long as Dempsey is going to be satisfied playing in MLS instead of the PL. He's 30 so it's likely he'll be ok with this going forward.