It's an MLS regular season game. The winner will get three points, or a tie will mean each team earns a point. In terms of the standings, it's just another game. Right?

With CenturyLink Field already sold out and expecting over 67,000 fans, new Sounders acquisition Clint Dempsey set to make his home debut, and with the Portland Timbers in town contesting the league's fiercest rivalry, Sunday's game will be anything but ordinary.

“You recognize its your rival and it doesn't matter what position you are in the standings,” Sounders coach Sigi Schmid said after training Friday. “It's always going to be an important game.”

In addition to the aforementioned factors, Sunday's match will take on extra importance because the Timbers, unlike their first two seasons in the league, have the opportunity to both make the playoffs and finish ahead of their fierce rival in the standings.

Portland sits in third place in the Western Conference, in the midst of its most successful season to date. After a
slow start, Seattle is on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, five points back of Portland, but with two games in hand.  

“Maybe it takes on a little more significance right now because they feel 'Hey we're on top of them right now, we're ahead of them in the standings and maybe the power has shifted,'” Schmid said. “So it's up to us to come out and
reestablish ourselves.”

For a team that averages over 40,000 fans and routinely delivers one of the most raucous atmospheres in MLS, Sunday should still be an extraordinary day in the history of the Sounders franchise.

With the biggest crowd to ever see a soccer game in Seattle expected, the Emerald City Supporters, known for their massive tifo displays, are set to unveil the largest CenturyLink Field has ever seen.

“It's something you gotta get excited about,” Schmid said. “It's got to make the hair stand up on the back of your neck and you get there and hopefully the players can take that emotion and don't turn it into overexcitement.”

The fans, and Schmid, will hope to see Clint Dempsey get on the score sheet for the first time with the Sounders in his third game since joining the team from Tottenham. 

“It's just a matter of he not putting so much pressure on himself to try and get that first goal or try and get that first assist,” Schmid said. “Just let it come and I think once it comes he'll be settled and I think it will help our team.”

Whether Dempsey gets on the board or not, Sunday is likely to be one of the more memorable regular season games in the league's history, and one which will be remembered for much more than the impact it has on the league standings.

By Seth Vertelney | Goal.com

Passion, dedication, undying support — all words and phrases MLS fans often use to describe supporters of the Seattle Sounders.

Fanatacism, bewilderment, "really, bro?" — all words and phrases that some might use to describe the Sounders fan in the following tweet and photo.

We've all heard of "Deuce Face." Welcome "Deuce Neck."

It's the Clint Dempsey version of Mr. Potato Head with his head sitting right on top of his soccer boots. Except, where are the rubber arms, mustache and tongue inserts, and what happens if that guy headbangs too violently at a metal show? Does Deuce's whole face fall off?

It may very well be a sign that we're entering a new phase of MLS fandom: Why go for a simple club crest as a tattoo when you can memorialize your favorite superstar? This will be forever remembered as one of the firsts.


For that guy's sake, let's hope Dempsey retires a Sounder.



Story first published: August 13, 2013             
By: Andy Edwards              
Source: MLSsoccer.com

Bringing back the USA's best player, who
started his career with the New England Revolution before joining Fulham, is quite the "get" for MLS. It will be interesting to hear what changed for Dempsey
in the last 12 months to bring him back to the league after seeming so focused on rising to new heights in Europe and if he plans on returning to Europe on
short offseason loans like Landon Donovan has done with Everton in years past before needing to take an extended break from the game.

When the U.S. played Panama in Seattle in June, Dempsey was very impressed with the huge crowds and passion for the game in the city.


From News Tribune:

"I’m good friends with [Seattle striker] Eddie Johnson and he always tells me
about what it’s like playing here in front of these fans. It’s an atmosphere
that’s comparable to playing in Europe. It’s crazy to see because when I first
started out in MLS, things weren’t like that, so it’s great to see that the game
is building. People have so much passion for the game. I almost felt like I was
in another country the other day when the Seattle Sounders game was on. I was
walking to eat dinner, and just as I was walking past the bar, the TV was on and
everybody was watching soccer. For me that was awesome."

So how good is Mr. Clint Dempsey? Well he is considered the best US player.
Dempsey has the ability to dribble with the ball, albeit in a rough, somewhat
out of control manner. He can score from distance. He positions himself so he
can poke it in from a couple of yards. He can play on the wing, in central
midfield or as a striker, with or without a partner. There is a strong argument
that he was the best at heading the ball in the Premier League.