Clint Dempsey To Miss Key World Cup Qualifiers, MLS Games Due To Heart Problem

Copa America 2016 proved to be Clint Dempsey’s apex this year, and that doesn’t necessarily bode well for the USA soccer team.

The Seattle Sounders announced Tuesday that Dempsey will sit out the rest of 2016 due to his irregular heartbeat. Dempsey will miss the Sounders’ pursuit of the MLS Cup, Team USA’s exhibition games against Cuba (Oct. 7) and New Zealand (Oct. 11) and, crucially, the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Mexico (Nov. 11) and Costa Rica (Nov. 16).

Dempsey’s condition has sidelined him since late August. Doctors cleared him to resume practicing on Sept. 14, but he stopped training last week, according to ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle.

Seattle hopes to have Dempsey back for the start of the 2017 MLS season, the Sounders didn’t set a timetable for his return, citing privacy.

Dempsey, 33, reaffirmed his worth to USA Soccer last summer as one of the standout performers at Copa America. He powered Team USA to a fourth-place finish, scoring three goals and adding three assists in six games.

He is Team USA’s second all-time leading scorer, with 52 goals in his international career. Time will tell whether Dempsey is able to resume his chase of Landon Donovan’s 57-goal mark.

Thumbnail photo via Jennifer Buchanan/USA TODAY Sports Images