TUKWILA, Wash. - If the Seattle Sounders are going to make the MLS Cup Playoffs, they’ll have to do it without star forward Clint Dempsey.
Sounders GM and President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey announced on Tuesday that Dempsey will not return this season as he continues to deal with an irregular heartbeat first discovered last month.
Dempsey, 33, has been sidelined with the issue since late last month and underwent a procedure to address the condition shortly after his diagnosis. He returned to the team on Sept. 14 to participate in light exercise, at which point Lagerwey said he was “cautiously optimistic” about Dempsey’s return to game action this season.