Even though Clint Dempsey is one of Major League Soccer’s icons, he can’t get away with cheap shots.
Dempsey hit Toronto FC defender Mark Bloom in the groin during an MLS game Saturday. The referee missed it, but television cameras did not.
MLS will take retroactive action against the Seattle Sounders and U.S. national team star, according to Kurtis Larson of the Toronto Sun.
[tweet https://twitter.com/KurtLarSUN/statuses/446283738880544769 align=’center’]
MLS has not made an official announcement, but the league’s disciplinary committee is expected to hand punish Dempsey on Thursday.
Following the Sounders’ 2-1 defeat, Dempsey told the Seattle Times that he didn’t intend to hit Bloom with a low blow.
“To be honest with you, I felt a hand on my back,” Dempsey said. “I tried to hit it away and thought I was hitting his hand away. I understand that maybe I did catch him a little bit. I apologized to him about that, but for me, all I was trying to do was smack his hand from touching my back.”
If the report is correct, Dempsey will miss Seattle’s games against the Montreal Impact (this Saturday) and the Columbus Crew (March 29).
See Demspey’s groin slap on Bloom below.
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Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@sounderatheart
GIF via Bleacher Report
