Seattle Sounders forward Clint Dempsey returned to competitive game action on Saturday against the Houston Dynamo for the first time in six months. He started, went 90 minutes and scored Seattle's lone goal in a 2-1 loss to open the 2017 MLS regular season.
Several players around the league used Twitter to welcome Dempsey back to playing, including Diego Valeri of the rival Portland Timbers.
Besides the rivalry, it is always good to see Clint Dempsey back #respect
— Diego Valeri (@DiegoDv8) March 5, 2017
— David Villa (@Guaje7Villa) March 5, 2017
Awesome seeing Clint Dempsey score after his long journey back!