An interesting thing is happening in Seattle. While everyone awaits Clint Dempsey’s arrival and wonders if he can slip out of the mean ol’ fog that has descended around him, and while so many wonder whether these Didier Drogba whispers may come to fruition around the Pacific Northwest side … the team is scoring goals.
Imagine that! Eat your heart out, Drogba!
And the goals are largely thanks to Obafemi Martins.
Seattle is 5-0-2 in the preseason; Martins has three goals, including the team’s only tally Wednesday in a 1-1 draw with Houston in the ongoing Carolina Challenge Cup.
While the team’s preseason record is no big deal – preseason success, often inflated by wins against lower-tier pro clubs or even college teams, is no indicator of what’s ahead when things get real – Martins’ good form is certainly a point worth discussion.
Will it, for instance, change the equation as Seattle ponders Drogba (who may be going elsewhere one way or the other)?
Will Martins’ good form remove some pressure from Dempsey, who won’t feel the immediate weight of needing to carry his team’s scoring burden?
Will an in-form striker allow Dempsey to fulfill a slightly different role, just a little further from goal?
