The Sounders Success is Bound to Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins

Three weeks ago the Seattle Sounders were the best team in Major League Soccer. They sat upon the points leader board with 29 points. Their attacking duo of Obafemi Martins and Clint Dempsey created such consistent pressure on the opposition that the teams occasional defensive lapses were hidden. Martins and Dempsey were just so good that they raised all the other players around them to a higher level. They were clearly one of the best duos in the league and the pair was the key to the Sounders success. Then on June 16th in a US Open Cup match against the Portland Timbers the wheels came off the cart.

Games against the Sounders chief rivals, the Portland Timbers, are always tense. The players take the rivalry as seriously as the fans and on the field the matches can be foul filled affair where tempers flair. This Open Cup match up was no different. The Sounders had three players ejected including an incident where Dempsey ripped up the referee's book. His action caused MLS to suspend him for three games. The game also saw a hard foul on Obafemi Martins result in an injury and him being carted off the field. At the end the Sounders only had seven men on the field.

The loss to the Timbers was a disappointment to be sure. The Sounders have owned the US Open Cup during their MLS life. The players and coaches take the competition seriously. However, the US Open cup result was disastrous more so because of the loss of Dempsey and Martins than the actual scoring outcome. Both players will miss a minimum of three games, all of which have been Sounders losses. Most likely the pair will miss six games each, which could set the Sounders really far back in the standings.

The absence of Martins and Dempsey has made it painfully clear how irreplaceable they are to the team. They are the keys to the entire Sounders team. In the three games without Dempsey and Martins the Sounders have managed just one goal and conceded seven. The offense is flat and the defense is struggling to keep opponents from scoring chances.

As the single goal highlights, the forwards just cant cut it. None of them have the skills required to create scoring opportunities for themselves. The two main fill-ins, Lamar Neagle and Chad Barrett, are finishers not creators. They lack the vision and instincts to find scoring opportunities. Their is no one left to feed them the ball. The Sounders offense has looked confused and directionless, with their possessions often ending in an errant pass.

On the flip side, without the attacking pressure created by Martins and Dempsey the defense has cratered. The side was already short-handed because of the injury to Ozzie Alonso, which has resulted in a huge downgrade in the center of the field. However, without Martins and Dempsey, the defense is giving up a huge amount of quality shots and forcing Stefan Frei to make way to many saves. Frei just isn't good enough to stop the on-slot. The key to the defense was a strong counter attack that kept the opponent from sending more than a few attackers forward. With the offense floundering the defense is seeing a lot more of the opponents players in the offensive zone.

The magic that led to the first places standing three weeks ago is gone right along with Martins and Dempsey. When they are missing it is like watching a completely different team. If it was ever in doubt, the scoring duo's absence has solidified into fact that they are the keys to the Sounders success. Seattle's soccer hopes and dreams rise and fall with Obafemi and Clint.

Lebron James is the Best Basketball Player in the World

During a press conference following the Cleveland Cavaliers game 5 loss Lebron James stated what everybody else was already thinking. His exact quote was "I feel confident because I'm the best player in the world." Personally I think he might be silly to feel confident, especially when you consider the other scrubs currently donning Cav's jerseys, but he is definitely right about the  best player part. His effort in the NBA Finals should put to rest any debate about Kobe or Durant being better than James.

Through five games he is averaging 36.6 ppg, 12.4 rpg, and 8.8 apg. He is probably performing at the highest level of any player ever in the NBA Finals. As the USA Today points out, he should win the series MVP regardless of the eventual Champion. He has clearly been the Most Valuable Player on the floor. Lebron James has turned what could have been one of the most boring and most lopsided Finals since last year (try to remember the Heat vs Spurs series, you might have blacked it out).

Although I am rooting for Golden State to win (their style of play is just way more fun to watch), I won't be upset if the Cav's force a game seven in California.  This series is so much fun I dont want it to end. I want to keep seeing how long James can keep this up. Although I suppose it is good it maxes out at seven games. I don't want to energy being exerted by James to do am permanent damage. I want him to come back and put on a show again next year because Lebron James clearly is the best player in the world.