Is no news bad news for Clint Dempsey’s availability?

It has now been nearly two weeks since the Seattle Sounders first revealed that Clint Dempsey was undergoing tests for an irregular heartbeat, and his status remains as unclear as ever.

There had been at least some hope that Dempsey might be back in time for the Sounders’ game against the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday. But that possibility is looking increasingly slim, as Dempsey has yet to resume training.

Even after taking the Labor Day weekend off from training, this was all head coach Brian Schmetzer could say on Tuesday: “Not out here today. Can’t update on that, sorry.”

That the Sounders are being cautious with Dempsey should not be entirely surprising. As Schmetzer has previously said “It’s not my story to tell” and there are legitimate privacy issues at play here. It also doesn’t help anyone to speculate on a timetable if one truly isn’t known.

Still, we might be getting to a point where it’s better to assume Dempsey will be out for an extended period, rather than expecting anything like a speedy return.