This had the air of inevitability written all over it, but it is official, USMNT and Seattle Sounders star striker Clint Dempsey will miss the remainder of the MLS season due to an irregular heartbeat.
Dempsey’s irregular heartbeat was discovered just this past month, but after testing and trying to get him back, Sounders GM and President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey made the decision to shut him down for good.
That came on the heels of Dempsey returning for what the team called “light exercise” on Sept. 14, but hadn’t trained with the team in over a week before this announcement.
Dempsey, at 33-years old, has been a key cog in the Sounders run towards a potential MLS playoff spot, so his loss was a big blow…at least on paper.
The Sounders have gone 2-1-1 since Dempsey’s diagnosis and will return to action at home against the Chicago Fire on Wednesday, looking to put pressure on Cascadia rival Portland for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Seattle currently sit on 38 points, just three adrift of the final playoff spot. A win against Chicago and the pressure certainly would be on Portland to not drop points as the season winds down.
Given this announcement, it is highly unlikely that Dempsey will be seen in action for the United States Men’s National Team anytime soon either. The team has upcoming matches with Cuba and New Zealand next month, and World Cup qualifying matches against Mexico and Costa Rica in November.
