knew in the playoffs what I was battling through. "I just want to get in and be a part of the process | Forum

SEATTLE -- For the past few seasons playing in England, even as he participated in a Europa League final with Fulham and was on the cusp of a Champions League berth at Tottenham Hotspur, Clint Dempsey felt the pull to come back to America grow stronger. Jeff Locke Authentic Jersey . He didnt want to be an aging player on the back side of his career when he finally made the decision to return to Major League Soccer. "I was already starting to get the itch to be honest with you, to come back to the States. I just missed being in America. I wanted to help continue the growth of the game here. You cant help the growth of the game if you come back and you dont perform," Dempsey said Monday after he was formally introduced as the newest designated player for the Seattle Sounders. "I understand there is a lot of pressure on me to succeed, a lot of expectations that others have on me, but also the expectations I put on myself and when I decided to come back to this league, I want to make an impact. I want to do a good job. I dont want to come and be passive and not be able to make a difference in games. I want to win things." That pull was at the heart of Dempseys decision to have his representatives reach out to MLS in late July and start the process that was finalized over the weekend when Dempsey signed with the Sounders, bringing back arguably the best American player currently to play for his domestic league. Even though theyre not currently in the playoffs, it also makes Seattle an instant contender for the MLS Cup. Less than 48 hours after he was greeted with a huge ovation from the nearly 40,000 fans in attendance Saturday night at Seattles game against FC Dallas, Dempsey was finally able to fully explain the reasons behind his surprising move. While giving up the chance to stay in the Premier League was difficult, Dempsey felt it was the right time to come back to MLS, where his career began with the New England Revolution. "Ive been in Europe for 6 1/2 years and I just wanted to come home. Each year was getting more difficult to go back and I think everything just has to do with timing," Dempsey said. "The Seattle Sounders moved mountains to get me here. It was an opportunity to come back when I was in my prime and continue growth in the league and its a challenge." The 30-year-old Dempsey played for the New England Revolution from 2004-06 before joining Fulham in 2007. He moved to Tottenham last summer and scored 12 goals in 43 games, but wasnt a regular starter for the Spurs while being used in rotation with other attacking players. Dempsey had two years remaining on his contract at Tottenham. Dempsey said he has yet to talk with U.S. national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann about the move and a step back in competition level from what he would get staying in the Premier League. "I look back with no regrets. I thought my time over there, if you want to crunch numbers, I was successful. I want to continue to do the same here," he said. The process for getting Dempsey to Seattle didnt take long but was filled with potential stumbles. MLS first informed Seattle general manager and co-owner Adrian Hanauer and fellow Seattle owner Joe Roth of Dempseys interest in late July. For the past two years, Hanauer and Roth had Dempsey at the top of their wish list and suddenly the chance to acquire him was real. While Dempsey was jetting between London and Hong Kong for an Asian tour with Tottenham, his representatives were pulling together a deal with Seattle, plus a transfer fee paid to Tottenham to bring Dempsey back beneath the MLS umbrella. The final stages of the negotiation were set into motion last Thursday when Dempsey was first spotted by fans boarding a flight at Heathrow Airport in London and later making a connection in San Francisco. When he arrived in Seattle, Dempsey was slipped out a back door of the airport and avoided a throng of Sounders fans who had converged for a chance to see if the rumours were true. Dempsey went unnoticed, but Hanauer never exhaled until Friday night when Dempsey finally signed the contract. "There were some anxious moments to some degree in that," Hanauer said. "Again, Im kind of a worrier." The move to get Dempsey, coupled with the acquisition of forward Obafemi Martins earlier this season backed up what Roth had told supporters last off-season after Seattle lost in the Western Conference finals to Los Angeles. Roth promised to pay back fans for the unprecedented support the Sounders have received. While Seattle could see increased interest because of Dempseys acquisition, Hanauer said the team didnt view this as a profitable move. "This is for soccer," Hanauer said. "This is to win a championship, raise the profile domestically, globally, pay our fans back for their support. ... If you do good things as a business, the financial rewards will come down the line, so this feels like were doing the right things by our customers, our fans." Dave Parker Authentic Jersey . Detroit and Boston are deadlocked, 1-1, and Tigers manager Jim Leyland could be forgiven if he was caught rationalizing instead of dissecting how his club could blow a 5-1 lead late in Game 2. Jon Niese Jersey . Bjorn, who had a 36-hole total of 8-under 134, made a testing six-foot putt to save par on the 16th and a birdie on the 17th before bogeying the final hole after a misjudged approach shot. American Kevin Streelman was in second place after shooting a 69. http:///...anco-pirates-jersey/ . - Oakland Raiders running back Rashad Jennings was speaking to a group of local high school students earlier this week when the conversation turned to the importance of being prepared when opportunities in life arise.It appears that Brenden Morrow wont be on the free agent market much longer. Morrow told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.com that he is getting closer to finding a new team in time for the 2013-14 season. The 34-year-old says he visited an unnamed club on Thursday. "Im thinking about another team visit as well," Morrow told LeBrun. "Ive actually got a few offers that Im mulling over at the moment. Its a tough marketplace, theyre not the biggest offers or what I had been hoping for, but at this point I just want to get playing again. So Im mulling over these offers." Morrow earned $4.1 million last season in a campaign split between the Dallas Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins, but he is liikely to make less with the salary cap having been reduced by about $6 million per team. Tony Watson Pirates Jersey. Morrow had 12 goals and 13 assists in 44 games during last years shortened season. The former Stars captain had a cracked knee cap during the playoffs last spring and admits that his reliability plays a role in his perceived market value. "I get what teams are concerned about, I was plagued with some injuries a couple of years ago," Morrow told LeBrun. "And nobody really knew in the playoffs what I was battling through. "I just want to get in and be a part of the process of building a team and getting started from training camp," said Morrow. "The timing isnt perfect." Wholesale Jerseys China ' ' '