Despite their slow start to the season, the Seattle Sounders continue to fight for a playoff spot. They are in the running for a playoff spot in a crowded Western Conference. But unfortunately they’ll have to play the final weeks of the campaign without one of their best players.
According to reports, Clint Dempsey will miss the reminder of the season due to an irregular heartbeat. Dempsey has’t played since August when Seattle’s medical staff discovered his issues. At the beginning the veteran forward had chances to return for the playoffs, but now it was confirmed he’ll be shut down for the foreseeable future.
Dempsey returned to training on September 14 and aimed to get back into playing shape quickly. Even though the GM Garth Lagerwey said the star forward might return this season, now there’s absolutely no chance he will return.
Without Dempsey, the Sounders are 2-1-2 in their last five games. It’s not an impressive mark, but it could’ve been much worse. Led by rookie Jordan Morris and star playmaker Nicolas Lodeiro, they’ve won their last two games and got back into the playoff race. They’re certainly trending in the right direction after a massive 4-2 win against the LA Galaxy this past weekend.
Dempsey, 33, will end the 2016 MLS season with eight goals and two assists in 17 matches. His absence will be a tough pill to swallow for Seattle, but they have enough talent to replace him. Morris, Lodeiro and Osvaldo Alonso – to name a few – will have to improve their play. And the Sounders will have to tighten things defensively since they won’t have their best player on the attack. It’s not the ideal scenario, but nothing has been easy for Seattle this year.
Will they close the gap against the Portland Timbers down the stretch? Only time will tell, but we’re sure that Dempsey will be rooting from the sidelines. And he’s already aiming to come back even stronger in 2017, unless his health says otherwise.