Clint Dempsey’s return to training and Gale Agbossoumonde at preseason
Clint Dempsey returns to training after being sidelined with irregular heartbeat and Gale Agbossoumonde trains with the Seattle Sounders at preseason camp.
The Seattle Sounders 2017 preseason is underway. After winning the 2016 MLS Cup, the Seattle Sounders have returned to the field after less than 2 months of rest for Brian Schmetzer’s first full season.
On Tuesday the team returned to training with noticeable absences and several new faces. Some of the absentees, Jordan Morris, Chad Marshall and Brad Evans are all away at USMNT January Camp.
Stefan Frei has an ankle injury and Nico Lodeiro has been given extra time off. Unfortunately many of the missing will not be returning, as several players have moved on to new teams.
Sounders supporters saw a familiar face, one that has been off the field for almost six months. On Tuesday, Clint Dempsey returned to full training for the first time. Fans also saw 18 non-MLS players on the field, including Gale Agbossoumonde. These 18 trial players also included a player born in 2001 and several academy and Seattle Sounders FC 2 players.
Clint Dempsey Returns to Full Training with Sounders
After being sidelined in late August with an irregular heartbeat, Clint Dempsey has been medically cleared to return to full training; he was officially ruled out for the remainder of the 2016 MLS Season in September. Dempsey trained lightly in December for the lead up to the MLS Cup and in 2016 he played in 17 games and scored 8 goals and in his last 3 games in 2016 he scored 5 goals.
Dempsey participated fully in training Tuesday and has been cleared to continue to do so unless more medical problems arise. Sounders GM and President of Soccer, Garth Lagerwey, said that Dempsey has been a “really good influence” in the Sounders locker room.
“We’ve been pleased with his progress. His attitude has been awesome, he’s worked really hard. He’s now progressed to a point where he’s able to rejoin the team on a regular basis. We still have some steps to get through,” said Lagerwey. “We’re excited about what the future may hold.”
The 33 year old US international was not called into USMNT January Camp, head coach Bruce Arena commented on Dempsey during camp. “[Dempsey is] making great progress. We’re hoping he’ll be available in March [for CONCACAF 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers].” Fans could see Dempsey on the field as early as February in the Carolina Challenge Cup, as Lagerwey said that “it’s possible” that Clint Dempsey could appear in some of the games.
Gale Agbossoumonde, one of the 18 non-MLS players in Sounders preseason
Gale Agbossoumonde (pronounced GAL-EH AG-BOOS-O-MON-DEH) is one of the 18 non-MLS players trying to become a part of the first team. Agbossoumonde is a center back who is a former USMNT prospect. He has spent the past three seasons in the NASL and spent time with Toronto FC in 2013, making 13 appearances over two seasons. He just came off a season where he had 28 starts for the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers in the NASL.
Agbossoumonde spent a year and a half at IMG Academy where Dion Daniels, Director of Operations for the soccer program, had high praise for him saying “Gale has a ton of potential. He’s a physical specimen [6-foot-2 and 185 pounds] that any coach would automatically look to have on his team. He knows the game very well. He’s just naturally talented. There are not too many center backs that can dribble through players the way that he does. His ability when he was at the academy was far and above anybody else’s.”
Garth Largerwey, Sounders GM, also had high praise. “He’s the quintessential preseason camp invite…a ton of talent, you can see the frame he’s got. He’s got a good pedigree, we’ll see how he does in camp,” said Lagerwey.
Next: USMNT Keeper Brad Guzan to join Atlanta United in 2017
The Agbossoumonde family, consisting of five boys, two girls and one year old Gale, left their native Togo and went to a refugee camp in Benin. The family spent seven years at the camp. Gale Agbossoumonde and the other boys played soccer barefoot with a ball made of melted rubber and plastic bags.
Check back for more updates throughout the preseason camp.