Dempsey out for rest of 2016 MLS season with Seattle
England boss loses job over comments
TUKWILA, Wash. — It’s now certain that Clint Dempsey’s 2016 season is over and his future beyond this year may be in doubt, too.
The Seattle Sounders announced Tuesday that Dempsey will miss the remainder of the season due to an irregular heartbeat that has sidelined him for more than a month.
Seattle general manger Garth Lagerwey made the announcement ahead of today’s home match against Chicago, as the Sounders are contending for one of the final playoff spots in the Western Conference.
“We simply haven’t got to a point where we were comfortable that there was a realistic chance” of Dempsey returning this year, Lagerwey said. “As we said in the first round of comments, we are not comfortable putting any kind of pressure on this. His return to play is not important relative to his health, both shortand long-term. We feel by ruling him out today it puts us in the best position to get him back hopefully for the start of the 2017 season.”
Seattle announced Aug. 26 that Dempsey, 33, would be out due to an irregular heartbeat revealed after a series of tests. Lagerwey said Dempsey had been undergoing tests for a couple of months before the issue was discovered.
Since the diagnosis was announced, Dempsey underwent an unspecified procedure and has been receiving treatment in Seattle and outside the area. He briefly returned to training about two weeks ago but was gone all of last week.
“He was still undergoing an evaluation and that’s why he had not been cleared to return to play,” Lagerwey said. “That evaluation is ongoing and again, we haven’t gotten to a point where we felt comfortable continuing. We just at this point want to remove any pressure for him to play because we have to get him healthy.”
The decision also rules out Dempsey from consideration for a pair of World Cup qualifying matches for the United States in November, including a showdown with Mexico on Nov. 11. Lagerwey said the club has been in regular contact with U.S. Soccer regarding Dempsey’s condition and treatment.
ENGLAND: Sam Allardyce lost his job as England manager Tuesday after just one match and 67 days in charge, paying the price for damaging comments to undercover reporters that were deemed “inappropriate” by the English Football Association.
British newspaper The Daily Telegraph published video of Allardyce appearing to offer advice on how to sidestep an outlawed player transfer practice and also to negotiate a 400,000-pound ($519,000) public-speaking contract while talking to reporters posing as businessmen.
The FA acted swiftly, holding emergency talks with Allardyce in London before announcing the end of his short-lived tenure by mutual consent.
“In light of the media allegations that we’ve seen,” FA chief executive Martin Glenn said, “we’ve concluded — and Sam’s agreed — that his behavior has been inappropriate and frankly not what is expected of an England manager.”
Asked about how Allardyce had reacted, Glenn added: “I know personally that he is deeply, deeply upset and deeply regrets the error of judgemnt, but I also think that he understands why The FA has had to take this tough decision.”
The 61-year-old Allardyce was hired to his dream job July 22 and had a contract through 2018. He is the shortest-serving England manager.
“He accepts he made a significant error of judgment and has apologized,” the FA said in a statement. “However, due to the serious nature of his actions, the FA and Allardyce have mutually agreed to terminate his contract with immediate effect.