Clint Dempsey cleared to return to training

Clint Dempsey, the Seattle Sounders, and U.S. Soccer all received some good news on Tuesday. The veteran forward has been medically cleared to return to training Sounders GM Garth Lagerwey confirmed to Matt Pentz.

Dempsey, who will turn 34 just after the start of the upcoming MLS season, was ruled out for the remainder of the 2016 season in late September after being diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat. The Sounders Designated Player missed out on the club’s run to their first ever MLS Cup title victory.

On the international stage he was unavailable for several key World Cup qualifiers for the United States, including the opening two losses to open the CONCACAF Hexagonal that cost Jurgen Klinsmann his job. Could things have turned out differently had he been available to play? We will never know.

This is the first step in his comeback to the field. Hopefully all goes well now that he has the green light and can get back to competitive action. He’s got exactly two months to get back into shape before the USMNT’s next World Cup qualifier against Honduras.