United States men’s national team head coach Bruce Arena said on Monday that he will be “very cautious” with Seattle Sounders forward Clint Dempsey in preparations for Rounds 3 and 4 of the Hexagonal in CONCACAF 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying.
Arena said in January he would “absolutely not” call in Dempsey, who is still working his way back to full fitness after missing six months while recovering from an irregular heartbeat, for the U.S.’ next two matches later this month. The U.S. will host Honduras in San Jose, Calif., on March 24 before traveling to take on Panama on March 28.