SEATTLE, WASH. – U.S. Soccer today announced that it has called in Sounders FC forward Clint Dempsey for the second of two friendlies in preparation of the October 10 playoff against Mexico at the Rose Bowl for a spot in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. Dempsey will miss the USMNT’s match against Peru on September 4 in Washington D.C. before joining the team for a September 8 friendly vs. Brazil on September 8.
This marks Dempsey’s first action with the U.S. National Team since his standout performance at the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where won Golden Boot honors with seven goals in six matches, including a hat trick against Cuba. Dempsey is second all-time with 48 goals for the USMNT in 119 career caps.
The U.S. faces Peru, which finished third in Copa America this summer, on September 4 at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. (4:00 p.m. PT / FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports Go, UniMas, Univision Deportes Network) and four days later meets five-time FIFA World Cup champion Brazil at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. (5:00 p.m. PT / ESPN Networks, UniMas, Univision Deportes Network).
The 23-player roster for the Peru friendly was announced today and includes 12 players from the group that represented the U.S. at the Gold Cup, as well as 12 that were a part of the 2014 FIFA World Cup squad. Dempsey joins Toronto FC midfielder Michael Bradley as the players that will be added to the roster for the match against five-time World Cup champion Brazil, while goalkeeper William Yarbrough will return to his club and be replaced by Chicago Fire ‘keeper Sean Johnson. Any additional changes will be determined following the game against Peru.
Sounders FC caps an eight-match month of August on Sunday with the third and final MLS regular season showdown with Cascadia rival Portland Timbers.