Former Tottenham man apparently suffering from a virus.
Clint Dempsey has missed his first scheduled full training day after apparently picking up a virus, MLSsoccer has reported.
There had been an indication that Dempsey was not at 100% when he apologised for his weak and crackly voice at his introductory press conference, and his new coach Sigi Schmid said the hectic schedule and travel before signing may have played a part. Over the past few weeks, Dempsey’s travel schedule has taken him across the Atlantic Ocean twice and back and forth between London and Hong Kong (a total distance of about 22,000 miles). In fact, MLSsoccer.com reports that the US national team captain hasn’t been in one place for more than four days during that time as he went from preseason training with Tottenham Hotspur to signing a new deal with the Sounders.
Despite the illness, Schmid said there was still a chance Dempsey would get some game time against Toronto FC on Saturday.
“We’ll see how he feels tomorrow and where his recovery is,” Schmid told reporters at Tuesday’s training session. “We’re still a long way away from Saturday. We’ll see how he feels at the end of the day. The likelihood of him going 90 minutes on Saturday is very small. Whether that’s starting and coming off or coming on as a sub, we’ll have to see.”
The Sounders play Toronto FC on Saturday, 7.00pm EDT at the BMO Field.
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