TUKWILA, Wash. — Clint Dempsey addressed the media on Tuesday for the first time since the Seattle Sounders sidelined him in September 2016 after being diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat.
Dempsey, 33, was optimistic and upbeat with how his recovery process has gone, despite how difficult an ordeal it was to confront. Dempsey said the five months he spent rehabilitating was the longest he'd been away from the game — the longest stretch he had previously missed was eight weeks —so having to sit back and watch as his team made their incredible run to MLS Cup was especially difficult.