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Clint Dempsey will likely get a chance to play against his old teammates, after all. Despite Fulham not playing Tottenham during Dempsey's loan stint, he should get a chance to play against them with the Seattle Sounders after the team announced on Monday that they've scheduled a summer friendly against Spurs on July 19.
More from our team sites
More from our team sites
"Tottenham Hotspur has established themselves as one of the top teams in arguably the toughest league in the world," Sounders Owner and General Manager Adrian Hanauer said in a team release. "We are proud to have them be a part of this year's friendly and will continue to strive to bring the strongest competition to CenturyLink Field."
That Spurs will be the friendly opponent comes as a bit of a surprise, as season-ticket prices had given the impression that a lower-profile team would be the friendly opponent. Tottenham certainly won't be as big of a draw as Manchester United, Chelsea or Barcelona -- who all brought in sellout crowds at least once -- they are a team that has a sizable fan base in the United States. This will also be Spurs' first trip to the West Coast since playing the San Jose Earthquakes in 2010.
That said, Tottenham is in a bit of a transition period and, combined with the fact that it's a World Cup year, it's very hard to say who might actually be making the trip with the team. Some of the notable players who might make the trip are Erik Lamela, Lewis Holtby, Roberto Soldado, Andros Townsend, Aaron Lennon and Christian Eriksen. Barring a massive surprise Mousa Dembele (Belgium), Nacer Chadli (Belgium), Kyle Walker (England), Jan Vertonghen (Belgium), Paulinho (Brazil) and Sandro (Brazil) are all almost certain not to make the trip as they'll be coming off World Cup appearances. Brad Friedel's situation is also unknown as he may or may not be playing at that point.
Tottenham is currently stuck in seventh place, a start that got manager Andre Villas-Boas fired. They are just four points out of fourth, though, which would send them back to UEFA Champions League. It was only year ago that they were just one point away from qualifying for Champions League and two years ago they only missed out because Chelsea took their spot by virtue of being the defending champion.
Individual tickets for the game will go on sale March 10.
