Michael Bradley will serve as the United States national soccer team’s captain during the Concacaf Gold Cup this month, taking over the role from Clint Dempsey in the latest fallout from Dempsey’s confrontation with a referee last month.
Jurgen Klinsmann, the coach of the United States team, announced the change Wednesday, saying he had made it to “let Clint focus on what he’s all about.”
Dempsey has been barred by Major League Soccer (for three games) and the Open Cup (for two years) for an incident in a match on June 16. Dempsey, playing for his club, the Seattle Sounders, in the Open Cup, confronted the referee late in a contentious game against the Portland Timbers.