Greetings from Houston, where it’s been raining most of the day and is still doing so as the Sounders prepare to start defending the Major League Soccer (MLS) championship they won fewer than three months ago in Toronto.
As expected, Clint Dempsey is indeed starting his first game since being sidelined with an irregular heartbeat last August. The Sounders also have midfielders Henry Wingo and Zach Mathers here and dressed as substitutes. Defender Oniel Fisher is also here dressed and able to come in if needed at right back, where Gustav Svensson will start, as expected, in place of injured Brad Evans.