Deuce Rolled Out In Seattle

((HT: MLS/KING-TV))

Now, having elevated his game from Fulham to Spurs, Clint Dempsey is now officially back in Major League Soccer for a reported $9-million transfer fee and a Designated Player status of $32-million over the next four years...

"I am very excited about coming back to the MLS and thrilled to be joining Sounders FC," said Dempsey as part of the press release. "Having recently played in Seattle with the National Team, I experienced the incredible atmosphere and the passion from the supporters first-hand. It's going to be an honor to represent the fans in Seattle." Think Seattle is serious...???

“Major League Soccer is thrilled to have Clint Dempsey, arguably one of the best players the United States has ever produced, return to the league to play for the Sounders,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in the standard press release. “Clint could have played in any league throughout the world, and he chose MLS and the Sounders. Our vision is to become one of the best leagues in the world, and we look forward to Clint being a part of that legacy.”

Dempsey is expected to join the Sounders’ workouts Monday and is supposed to make his debut with the club next Saturday in Toronto.

His first home game is supposed to be the Cascadia match-up on the 25th, when the Sounders host Portland.
No pressure there or anything...

Dempsey was presented to the fans at Century Link Field before the game with FC Dallas- and, to no one's surprise, he's wearing the number 2... gear available for purchase now at mlssoccer.com

Here's part of the welcome... ((HT: MLS/Sounders FC))

ICYMI: MLS Goes Big Time: Clint Dempsey Moves From The Premier League

Ini the professional soccer world, this is considered somewhat of a big deal. Though it's a bigger deal here in the U.S than in Europe.

U.S National soccer team captain Clint Dempsey is set to leave the English Premiere League Tottenham Hotspur team and sign a mega-deal to play in the U.S Major League Soccer for the Seattle Sounders.

Why is this a big deal?

On the global scale it's a big deal only because Dempsey is a big name soccer player. It's a coup for MLS, which usually loses players to the Premiere League, not the other way around. MLS is gaining traction in the U.S with the league looking to expand to as many as 30 teams over the next couple of years.

And keep that in mind, they need a face. A home-grown, marketable face and Dempsey certainly fills that role for them.

According to reports, the buyout from Tottenham is as much as $9 million and Dempsey is rumored to be getting a $4-8 million a year contract to move to Seattle. The Sounders are one of the leagues most successful franchises with a large, passionate fan-base and their own stadium.

It will be very interesting to see if the team...and the league can afford to start paying players that much money. Without a mega-TV deal, it will be tough. But MLS draws well in the markets they play in. And if you can put 20,000 or more in a stadium for your games, the chances of making some money increases--exponentially.