A little over a week after the Seattle Sounders announced that forward Clint Dempseywould not return to the team for the remainder of the 2016 season as he recovers from an irregular heartbeat, the manager of Dempsey’s other team addressed the media on his situation.
United States men’s national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann told reporters on Wednesday that he still has hope that Dempsey will make a full recovery and be able to return to the team at some point in the near future. The U.S. are training in Miami before their upcoming friendlies against Cuba in Havana on Oct. 7 and New Zealand in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 11.
Klinsmann also called in fellow Sounder Jordan Morris to the 23-man roster.
“We follow 100 percent the advice and the direction of the Sounders in their decision to rest him for the rest of the season and get it all cleared by the medical staff there,” Klinsmann said.
While he can’t be there in person, Dempsey is still a very big part of the United States makeup and his absence is felt. On Tuesday, Dempsey’s United States teammates wished him well and stressed that even though they miss him, his health is the main priority.
“We are very positive about having him back, hopefully in a January camp, and then take it one step at a time,” Klinsmann said. “There are still a lot of positive thoughts about Clint coming back to us.”
