Clint Dempsey scores twice to take Seattle Sounders to the final of Conference Cup

SEATTLE -- Three thoughts on the Seattle Sounders' 2-0 Western Conference semifinal win against the Vancouver Whitecaps in the MLS Cup Playoffs.

There had been speculation prior to kickoff as to whether this could be Clint Dempsey's final match at CenturyLink Field. It is the Sounders' call whether or not to pick up the 34-year-old's team option for 2018 -- and after earning close to $3.9m this season, that decision is going to be agonized over in the front office.

Dempsey's arrival in the summer of 2013 was a watershed moment in the modern history of the club, a personification of its long-term ambitions. It would be unfair to label him a bust, or anything close to it. The Texan has netted nearly 50 goals in more than four seasons in Seattle, and he helped deliver the memorable Open Cup/Supporters' Shield double back in 2014.

There is a bit of a sense, however, that he hasn't completely lived up to the outsized hype that heralded his arrival. Through no fault of his own, Dempsey missed out on last year's dramatic MLS Cup run with an irregular heartbeat, and he had yet to deliver the type of transcendent moment that so defines legacies.

He went a long way toward changing that on Thursday night with a classy double that came at a time his team was struggling to find a goal.

Vancouver's stubborn rearguard frustrated Seattle for more than 145 minutes stretched over the two legs of the series, and it was beginning to look as though the Sounders would never find their way through. The 39,587 rain-soaked fans girded themselves for the possibility of extra time, and penalty kicks beyond it.

Then in the 56th minute, Dempsey found himself in a little pocket of space atop Vancouver's box. He shimmied himself free, swung his left leg back and splashed a perfectly placed strike into the corner of the Whitecaps net. Then 32 minutes later, when a 'Caps goal still could have knocked Seattle out, Dempsey added the insurance tally from close range.

He wheeled away in triumph, kicked the ball toward the heavens and broke into a wide grin, a snapshot that will live long in these parts

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