Seriously, Clint Dempsey will not play in MLS Cup

For at least the second time in a week, Seattle Sounders forward Clint Dempsey has been seen at training. And once again, head coach Brian Schmetzer has been very adamant that Dempsey will not play again this year.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news but it’s just not going to happen. As much as we all would like to see Clint make a cameo appearance in the final, we need to make sure he is fully healed before he makes his return to the pitch.

For those of you that may have forgotten, Dempsey hasn’t played in a game since the Sounders beat the Portland Timbers 3-1 on Aug. 21. Dempsey finished the game with a brace and upped his goal-scoring tally to eight goals in just 17 games, five of which came in the four he played alongside Nicolás Lodeiro. With the addition of Lodeiro the Sounders offense really started clicking and Dempsey was getting more involved in the games.

Just five days after that game, the Sounders announced that Dempsey was undergoing further medical tests for an irregular heartbeat. The Sounders had no timetable on a return for Dempsey but it was a situation that they had been monitoring for some time.

Just over five weeks later, it was announced Dempsey was shut down for the season due to an irregular heartbeat. Since then, he had rarely been seen at training or at games but there had been rumors that he had attended a majority of the home games.

We can only imagine how potent the Sounders attack could be with Dempsey in the lineup but it’s tough to complain about how well they have been playing since he had to step away. The Sounders finished the season 5-2-3 (W-L-T) without Clint from Aug. 24 to Oct. 23. They’ve also gone 4-1-0 in the playoffs to advance to their first-ever MLS Cup.

It is nice to see Clint back at training, even if it is only light jogging, and it’s great that he is still hanging around the team.