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Whether you love soccer or don't, if you are a sports fan every four years you watch the United States take the field against the best in the world. The World Cup attracts your attention. You remember 2010 and that amazing win against Algeria, the howler by the English keeper, and you know Clint Dempsey.
You know that he scored against Ghana in 2006 in the eventual loss. You know he scored three goals in the USA's finals run in the 2009 Confederations Cup when he was named the third best player in the tournament. He's Clint Dempsey. He again scored in the 2010 World Cup, joining the legendary Brian McBride as Americans scoring in multiple tournaments. You know him for Dempsey Face.
He is your Captain now. The hopes of a nation ride on his shoulders. The weight of a team in the armband he wears.
You don't have to watch Clint only during the World Cup. He is right here in America. He is right here in Seattle. Everything he does and can do on the greatest stage of soccer, he does for Seattle Sounders FC.
The fancy footwork that he uses to unlock defenses like he did against Turkey, he does in Rave Green as well.
via giant.gfycat.com
The Clint Dempsey Sounders fans get to see every week is one that is dominating Major League Soccer, despite missing games for national team duty both prior to the World Cup and as long as it lasts. He is tied for fourth in goals scored (with teammate Obafemi Martins) and has three assists as well.
He does things like this:
and this:
and this:
and this:
The fact of the matter is that if you like Clint Dempsey every four years, you can like him every seven days. He is here in Seattle. Captain America sometimes wears the armband here as well. Anything he does in Red, White and Blue can happen in Rave Green, Sounder Blue, Cascade Shale and Pitch Black.
The 2014 World Cup may increase your exposure to Clint. That need not end on July 13th, in fact it should probably continue that very day when the Portland Timbers try contain Captain America. They failed in the first meeting of 2014 when he netted a hat trick.
Clint's a damn fine Sounder.