Seattle

Sounders say Clint Dempsey expected to start in MLS season opener

Published Feb. 28, 2017 7:27 p.m. ET

Alex Dowd

Seattle Sounders fans should expect a familiar face in the starting lineup as the 2017 MLS season kicks off: Clint Dempsey. Sounders manager Brian Schmetzer said there's a "high probability" the 33-year-old forward will be in the lineup on Saturday against the Houston Dynamo.

Dempsey hasn't played a full 90 minutes in months and last played in an MLS match back in August 2016, but he's been ramping up activity in the preseason. While recovering from a heart irregularity, Dempsey's minutes have steadily increased in the run-up to the start of the season.

He's started four games in the preseason and has increased his minutes each start, including going 80 minutes in last Saturday's 1-0 preseason loss to Columbus Crew SC. Still, the Sounders have preached patience and caution with the USMNT star.

"To state the obvious, we're still six months removed from the last time he played 90 minutes in a match. So that is still going to be a work in progress," GM Garth Lagerwey said. "We are not going to push anybody back quickly at this point. It's far more important to us how we look later in the season than in March."

An irregular heartbeat cut Dempsey's season short last year, but he was medically cleared to return to action earlier this month. Considering there were questions about whether Dempsey would ever return, hearing that he's expected to start on Saturday is huge news for the defending MLS Cup champions.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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