TUKWILA, Wash. – As the Seattle Sounders continue to navigate their way through their 2017 preseason, the likelihood that forward Clint Dempsey will be able to participate in the club’s first-ever title defense seems to be increasing by the day.
Dempsey hasn’t played since last August after doctors detected an irregular heartbeat that would ultimately sideline him for all of Seattle’s MLS Cup run. But the 33-year-old has trained with the club in full throughout the preseason and logged minutes in each of Seattle’s first two preseason games.
Speaking with reporters after Seattle’s Tuesday practice at Starfire Sports Complex, Dempsey said that, slowly but surely, he feels as though he’s rounding back into form.
“As far as I know I’m cleared for game action,” Dempsey said. “I’ve been playing in games, played 30 minutes one game, 45 in the other. The minutes should keep going up and I’ll keep [pushing].
“I feel like I’m finally getting close. I’m feeling like, 85-90 percent back to full fitness.”
The Sounders have steered clear of making any sort of official announcement regarding Dempsey’s return, saying that they want to make absolutely sure that their star forward has cleared all the necessary medical requirements before they make a firm commitment on his status for 2017.
“We’re on the same plan that we’ve been on,” head coach Brian Schmetzer said on Tuesday, “progressing him slowly and surely and making sure everything is okay [medically]. We’re not going to throw him out there unless we’re 100 percent sure.”
The next step for Dempsey will be seeing how he comes through the Sounders’ upcoming slate of preseason games. Seattle depart for an 11-day training camp in Charleston, South Carolina on Thursday, which will see them play three more times before their regular-season opener against the Houston Dynamo on March 4 (8:30 pm ET; MLS LIVE).
Dempsey also said on Tuesday that he has had dialogue with US men’s national team head coach Bruce Arena, saying that any talk of a return to playing for his country will likely have to come after gauging how things are going with the Sounders.
“Towards the end of the year I got a chance to speak with [Arena] a little bit about everything that was going on,” Dempsey said. “We had a good talk. I owe a lot to Bruce. He’s the first one who picked me for the national team and helped me achieve my goal and dream as a kid to play and score in a World Cup.
“It’d be great to get back in with the US team. But to do that, I have to do well here and that’s the main focus: Being here with Seattle and trying to make an impact on the field here.”
