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SEATTLE -- Clint Dempsey waited on the small stage at midfield. Finally he unzipped his sweatshirt and made official a surprising career move. Dempsey is leaving behind the Premier League to play for the Seattle Sounders. Dempsey was introduced as the newest designated player for the Sounders on Saturday night prior to Seattles match against FC Dallas. It concluded a whirlwind 48 hours of rumours and speculation that Dempsey was leaving Tottenham Hotspur and returning to Major League Soccer. ESPN first reported Friday that a transfer was imminent and Tottenham confirmed Dempseys move back to MLS early Saturday. Terms of Dempseys deal were not announced by the club. "This is a historic day for Sounders FC and our fans," Sounders majority owner Joe Roth said in a release. "Clint is a world-class soccer player who can take this club to a higher level. We have been consistent in our message to the fans that we will spare no expense to win trophies." Dempsey was expected to address the reasons behind his move during a press conference scheduled for Monday. 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. The move is surprising as Dempsey is giving up a chance to play in one of the top leagues in the world in the prime of his career and a year before the World Cup in Brazil. "I was a little bit surprised about it, sure. Because it is an interesting step career wise at a point in time where you would kind of maybe question that," former U.S. national team goalkeeper and current Sounders TV analyst Kasey Keller said before Saturdays announcement. "But when you look more at the details and who is involved and what were talking about financially it all kind of comes into place." There were signs Seattle was on the verge of making a big splash before the international transfer window closed. The Sounders cleared one of their three designated player slots earlier this week when midfielder Shalrie Joseph restructured his contract to no longer be counted as a designated player. The team website also asked fans to arrive early to Saturday nights game against FC Dallas for what the club called a "special presentation." At 7:26 p.m., a video chronicling Dempseys career highlights played on the CenturyLink Field video board and moments later he revealed his new rave green jersey. "I think well accomplish some great things here, so thank you," Dempsey told the roaring fans. Dempsey raved about Seattle when the city hosted the U.S. against Panama in a World Cup qualifier in June. "Its great to see the game is building and there are markets like this where people have so much passion for the game," he said then. A star for the U.S. national team, Dempsey wasnt a regular in Andre Villas-Boas starting lineup with Tottenham. Even so, his move is somewhat surprising because Tottenham could also lose forward Gareth Bale this off-season to Real Madrid. One of the most successful Americans to play in Englands top league, Dempsey was first sold from the Revolution to Fulham in 2007. Dempsey spent five years playing at Craven Cottage, where he scored 50 goals in 184 league appearances and became a fan favourite. Last year with Tottenham, Dempsey scored seven goals in 29 Premier League matches, scored three times in two FA Cup matches and had two more goals in 10 other games. As his stock in Europe rose, so did Dempseys role on his national team. Hes played in eight games in 2013 for the United States and scored five times. His next international appearance for the Americans will be his 100th, and hes served as the U.S. captain most of this year when Landon Donovan was out. Dempsey came to England as an attacking midfielder but has developed into a potent forward in recent seasons, starting up front for the U.S. too. Outside of CenturyLink Field on Saturday, fans were already buzzing about Dempseys arrival prior to the official announcement. At retailers around the stadium, custom Sounders jerseys with "Dempsey" across the back and No. 2 were being printed with regularity all afternoon in both versions of Seattles jersey. During the pregame march near the stadium, fans chanted "Deuce upside the head, I said Deuce upside the head," and carried head shots of Dempsey attached to sticks. "Major League Soccer is thrilled to have Clint Dempsey, arguably one of the best players the United States has ever produced, return to the league to play for the Sounders," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement. "Clint could have played in any league throughout the world, and he chose MLS and the Sounders. Our vision is to become one of the best leagues in the world, and we look forward to Clint being a part of that legacy."China Jerseys Wholesale . The winner Saturday will remain in the elite 10-team field next year. "We talked about wanting to be disciplined and stick with our game plan and good things will come," Draisaitl said, who had two goals for the victors. China Jerseys Stitched . It was the second consecutive win for the Pacers (2-5), who lost their first five preseason games. Jeff Teague led the Hawks (1-5) with 17 points and eight assists and Al Horford had 12 points and seven rebounds. Mike Scott scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half. https://www.chinajerseyscheap.us/ . Giroud, who wasnt in the starting lineup for two matches after allegations about his private life and a decline in form, scored twice in the first half. Tomas Rosickys chip made it 3-0 before half time at Emirates Stadium, while defender Laurent Koscielny scored an unmarked header in the second half. China Jerseys Cheap . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. Fake China Jerseys . -- Bryant McKinnie came out of his stance and lowered his shoulder into a practice squad player, causing a crisp thud to reverberate in the Miami Dolphins practice bubble.Shaken from his sleep, Maíra Liguoris father had barely opened his eyes as she shouted for him to get out of bed. It was Christmas morning in Atibaia, Brazil, and an 8-year-old Liguori had beaten Santa Claus to the drop-off.Stuffed between a wall and a sofa in the living room was a bicycle was in a big cardboard box.The sun was only just started shining through the curtains, but she wanted to ride it. Her father, Matheus, rose from his slumber and assembled the bike for Liguori, planting the seeds for what would become a lifelong passion.That bicycle was my first love, Liguori says. People would joke that I was head, shoulders, knees and pedals.Liguori, now the director for Think Olga, a Brazilian NGO aimed at challenging gender stereotypes and empowering women through information, rode her bicycle everywhere as a girl.As she grew older, the sense of fun and freedom that riding symbolized in her life was buried under the pressures of being a teenager. Being drenched in sweat after an afternoon of bicycling with the boys was no longer normal.She moved away to study at the Pontifical Catholic University of Sao Paulo, where she earned a bachelors degree in journalism in 2002. The city of 11 million people was less conducive to cycling, and by then Liguori was struggling with body image issues and insomnia. The advertisements in the streets and the trainers in her gym told her getting fit would help her feel beautiful and strong and that it would make her doubts about her body disappear.Through endless yoga and spin classes, swimming and running, the uneasiness in the pit of Liguoris stomach remained. The treadmills and yoga mats became instruments of an oppressive environment. But Liguori wasnt working out to find a boyfriend or fit into a bikini. She just longed for the peace she felt as a little girl racing down streets on her yellow bike.Sport is too big to only be about fitness and beauty, Liguori says. I exercise because I love my body, not because I hate it -- not because it is a problem that needs fixing.At the age of 27, Liguori and her husband, Ricardo Kenski, moved away to Barcelona, Spain, where she worked in marketing research while finishing a masters degrees in business communications and anthropology.One day, she was on her way to the university but didnt have money for the subway, so she decided to rent a public bike on the street. As soon as she pedaled off and felt the wind hit her face, the memories came flooding back. She rushed home that night and told her husband: I will never stop riding again.At Think Olga, we always say we work with a burning passion inside of us, says Juliana de Faria, founder and one of Liguoris closest friends. Maíra embodies that passion perfectly.***In August, Liguori received confirmation that she would become the fifth Brazilian woman to participate in the U.S. Department of State and espnW Global Sports Mentoring Program (GSMP). With the aim off growing the impact of her work with Olga Esporte Club, Liguori was partnered with Julie Eddleman, global client partner at Google.ddddddddddddEddleman previously mentored three Brazilian women in the program and has a long resume of accomplishments as a former marketing director and mentor at Proctor & Gamble. Its been her mission to help Liguori condense her ideas and create a long-term strategy that will make Olga Esporte Club, which is the sports branch of Think Olga, financially and programmatically sustainable.You hear these legends about Brazilians having this incredible passion and this zest for life, and its been absolutely true with all of my mentees, Eddleman says. Im here to offer a little inspiration, a lot of connection and a way for them to take those steps toward a long-term, strategic vision.Thanks to her mentor, Liguori has met with leaders at both P&G and Google, as well as innovative thinkers such as David Knox, chief marketing officer of the digital innovation firm Rockfish, and Kash Shaikh, chief executive officer of Besomebody, a mobile app that connects people with similar passions, which earned Shaikh a spot on the popular ABC television show Shark Tank.Liguori calls the GSMP one of the deepest experiences of her life and knows it will lead her forward in spreading the idea of sport for empowerment and social change across Brazil.Before I was living my life trying to make things happen, Liguori says. Now I am changing my life to come to the U.S., meet new women, engage in something I never wouldve dreamed of before, in order to make my dreams with Olga Esporte Clube come to life.Her husband, one of her biggest supporters, is a witness to the impact the program has made in Liguoris life. The two have been together for three World Cups and one Olympics, he says. Fourteen years, if youre counting.A producer for HBO Latin America, Kenski realizes the importance of his wifes work as he deals with questions from others during her time in the U.S.Sometimes even the women at work try to provoke me with questions about feminism, Kenski says. Its bizarre. Men will say to me, How are you changing (their 15-month old son) Toms diapers? Its not a radical thing to change diapers, man.Ultimately for Liguori it comes down to that basic element: awareness. Whether it happens when a woman clicks on a link to one of Think Olgas articles, or when a man challenges the stereotypes that women should look and act a certain way at work, or when a little girl rides her bicycle freely down an empty neighborhood street -- when the light bulb goes off, there is no way to stop the movement.Editors note: Brian Canever is the digital content manager for the Center for Sport, Peace, & Society at the University of Tennessee, and works closely with the GSMP participants. ' ' '