It’s surely too early to pencil him into the starting lineup for First Kick, but Clint Dempsey will see his first competitive action in about six months in the Seattle Sounders’ preseason opener on Saturday.
Here's YOUR #Sounders Starting XI for today's #SFCPreseason match (and welcome back @clint_dempsey)! https://t.co/2Qa5Z4Dwcf #SEAvPOR pic.twitter.com/0W9wQEtwMf
— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) February 5, 2017
Dempsey will play start, ostensibly, as a No. 10 with Nicolas Lodeiro flanking him on the right and Alvaro Fernandez on the left. In reality, Dempsey will probably play more as a withdrawn forward while Lodeiro and Fernandez will likely be relied upon to do more of the midfield work.
We’ll also get to get our first extended look at Gustav Svensson, the Sounders’ most recent signing. Svensson will start alongside Cristian Roldan and will likely fill the role regularly filled by Osvaldo Alonso.
The other players probably most worth watching are center back Gale Agbossoumonde and right back Dominic Oduro. Agbossoumande is a trialist, while Oduro was drafted seemingly with the intention of him playing as a defensive mid.