CHARLESTON — Seattle Sounders forward Clint Dempsey has played in each of the club’s four preseason matches as he continues to get ready for the 2017 MLS season-opener against the Houston Dynamo on March 4 (5:30 p.m. PT | Matchcenter).
Dempsey missed the final four months of last season while recovering from an irregular heartbeat, but he has been cleared to play and is steadily working his way back to match fitness. He played 30, 45 and 60 minutes, respectively, in his first three games before coming off the bench in the second half on Wednesday in the Sounders’ 4-2 loss to Atlanta United FC in the Carolina Challenge Cup.
The Sounders will take on Columbus Crew SC on Saturday (1:30 p.m. PT; SoundersFC.com) in the final warmup match as Dempsey tries to fine-tune his game heading into the regular season.
“[I’m] still trying to get [sharper] in the final third,” Dempsey said after training Friday. “My fitness is getting better. I’m improving as each day goes by. There are still things to work on before I’m where I want to be, but the team is looking good and we’re looking forward to the season.”
The club’s trip to Charleston is Dempsey’s first time playing in South Carolina since he left Furman University, which is roughly 200 miles northwest in Greenville, in 2004. He hasn’t retuned since and is happy to have the opportunity to come back.
“It feels great to be back in South Carolina,” Dempsey said. “I played college ball here, and not too far away from [Charleston] is where we played our [Southern Conference Tournament]…It’s a nice homecoming.”
