Seattle Sounders: Don’t Get too Excited Yet About Clint Dempsey
By Paul Taylor
Despite being medically cleared to train with the Seattle Sounders, it’s still too soon to know when Clint Dempsey will be available to return to regular season action.
There was a welcome sight for Seattle Sounders‘ fans on Tuesday morning as the players returned to preseason training at Starfire Sports in Tukwila. Among those taking part in team drills was none other than Clint Dempsey.
The 33-year old has not played since being diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat last August. As such, his ability to take part in a full training session on Tuesday was a positive step.
Among those encouraged to see Dempsey back out on the field was Garth Lagerwey. The General Manager and President of Soccer spoke to The Seattle Times and the rest of the media about the forward’s progress.
Lagerwey said: “His attitude has been awesome, he’s worked really hard. He’s now progressed to a point where he’s able to rejoin the team on a regular basis.
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“We still have some steps to get through. We’re excited about what the future may hold.”
However, it’s still too soon to know when Dempsey will start playing again. Despite being medically cleared to train, this is obviously subject to any recurrence of his health concerns.
Understandably, the preference is for the Nacogdoches, Texas native to participate in some of the Sounders’ preseason games. However, Lagerwey admits it is only a possibility at this stage, as the team continues to take a cautious approach with him.
Sounders’ head coach Brian Schmetzer was happy just to have Dempsey back in training. Similarly though, he knows there’s a long way to go, as he told SportspressNW.com’s Andrew Harvey and the rest of the media.
Schmetzer said: “(We) hope that he continues to progress, (but) it’s not up to me. It’s Clint and the doctors.
“Everybody here hopes that timeline continues in a positive direction, but you never know. We don’t want to set any unrealistic expectations.”
One of the knock-on effects from the health of the 2004 eighth overall draft pick, is how it will impact the designated player situation in Seattle. As Lagerwey recently explained, the front office won’t make any decisions until Dempsey’s situation becomes clearer.
Speaking at the time to Sam Stejskal of MLSsoccer.com, Lagerwey said: “We have to, I would say, be strategic with respect to Dempsey. We’re not going to know with certainty for a while yet.”
No doubt, the Sounders and their fans will be hoping the US international can return to regular action. He has scored 34 times and added 22 assists in 72 games for Seattle, including eight goals and two assists in 17 appearances last season.
For now though, at least Dempsey is taking steps in the right direction. As Lagerwey told soundersfc.com and the rest of the media: “I can’t be complimentary enough about how hard Clint has worked.
“It is not easy to take that kind of time off given his experience and bounce back right away. He’s been really positive and a really good influence in our locker room as well.”
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In light of this latest update, how optimistic are you regarding Dempsey? Are you confident he will be back sooner rather than later, or are you still concerned about his ability to return to playing regularly? Share your thoughts in the comments section.