With the 2017 season in the books, SoundersFC.com is taking a look back at the top 10 plays of the year. We’ll release the full list over 10 days with the final play being announced on Dec. 31. Take a look at the full list as it’s released.
The Sounders will kick off 2018 with a Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League series against El Salvador’s Santa Tecla on Feb. 22 before opening the MLS campaign on March 4 against LAFC.
NOTE: These plays were voted on by a multiple SoundersFC.com staffers and compiled on a point system. Check out the full schedule HERE.
It simply had to be. Clint Dempsey’s shorthanded, stoppage-time equalizer at the Portland Timbers was the top play of the Seattle Sounders’ season and sparked a massive turnaround in the 2017 campaign.
Dempsey began on the bench as part of routine rest, but with the Sounders trailing 2-1 late and reduced to 10 men, Head Coach Brian Schmetzer brought him on, and he did not disappoint. After a brilliant, game-saving tackle by Cristian Roldan on a potential counterattack, Román Torres crossed in a perfect ball.
Dempsey rose over a Timbers defender and headed it into the bottom corner in vintage Deuce fashion. The goal salvaged a crucial road point and spurred Seattle to three consecutive wins and six of their next seven.
