For the first time this season, we’ve fallen in line. Week after week, PST’s found a reason to disagree with the league’s choice for Player of the Week, but in the season’s sixth round, there was no room to disagree. Seattle’s Clint Dempsey was hands down the league’s best player, scoring twice and forcing a Stephen Keel own goal in the Sounders’ 3-2 win at Dallas.
Statistically, the performance was actually a step back from his hat trick in Portland, but as is always the case with this game, numbers don’t tell the whole story. Whereas last week a late penalty drawn by DeAndre Yedlin helped Dempsey’s final line numbers, the U.S. captain’s performance at Toyota Stadium transcended his two goals. Playing underneath Obafemi Martins in a 4-4-2 formation, Dempsey was back in his most effective role, one that allowed him to define Saturday’s match.
Formation had nothing to do with Dempsey’s first goal, though - a breathtaking blast from 28 yards slammed against the bottom of Chris Seitz’s crossbar. Defying the headwind that plagued the game in Frisco, Tex., Dempsey pulled Seattle even after Stefan Frei’s early miscue, taking the sole possession of the league’s scoring lead while going so.
After half time, Dempsey nearly added a second spectacular strike after turning on a ball above the penalty area. His strike off Seitz’s cross bar may have went into the crowd this time, yet it foreshadowed what was to come. In the 75th minute, his ball from the right of the penalty ahead forced Keel to concede an equalizer, while a close-range finish off a 85th minute give-and-go with Chad Barrett gave Dempsey five goals in two games. Capping a second straight late game comeback, Dempsey’s sixth goal of the season delivered full points for Seattle.
For the second straight week, it was classic Dempsey, with his small switch in role allowing him to get back to what he does best. Jumping into the midfield, getting the ball wide, ghosting into the box, and picking his spots in front of goal - they’re the skills that made him so successful at Fulham and a valuable contributor at Spurs. Dropping away from the line, keeping possession in front of the defense, moving the ball to the right spots on the periphery - it’s the subtle difference between the burden with a playmaker’s role and the freedom to check, pass, and probe.
On Saturday, Dempsey was at his checking, passing, and probing best, something that ended with Dallas’s first loss of the season. Averaging a goal every 50 minutes, “Deuce” is not only at the top of the league scoring charts, he’s challenging our notion that Michael Bradley is clearly the league’s best player.
Over the last two weeks, Dempsey has rekindled that debate, giving U.S. fans reason to believe their captain will be at his best come June 16.
| PST Award | MLS Award | |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Will Bruin, Houston Dynamo 2g, 1a vs. New England | Nick Rimando, Real Salt Lake 8 saves, PK save at LA |
| Week 2 | Víctor Bernárdez, San Jose Earthquakes 2g, 1a vs. Real Salt Lake | Jermain Defoe, Toronto FC 2 goals at Seattle |
| Week 3 | Fabian Castillo, FC Dallas 1 goal vs. Chivas USA | Bernardo Añor, Columbus 2 goals vs. Philadelphia |
| Week 4 | Álvaro Saborío, Real Salt Lake 2 goals vs. Toronto FC | Graham Zusi, Sporting Kansas City 1 goal, 2 assists at Colorado |
| March Player of the Month | Michael Bradley, Toronto FC 3 games, 0 goals, 0 assists | Mauro Díáz, FC Dallas 4 games, 2 goals, 0 assists |
| Week 5 | Diego Chara, Portland Timbers 2 goals vs. Seattle | Clint Dempsey, Seattle Sounders 3 goals at Portland |
| Week 6 | Clint Dempsey, Seattle Sounders 2 goals at Dallas | Clint Dempsey, Seattle Sounders 2 goals at Dallas |