Report: Dempsey will miss U.S. friendly
Clint Dempsey, in the midst of changing clubs, will not play for the U.S. national team in next week's friendly against Bosnia-Herzegovina, SI.com reported Thursday.
Last weekend, the Seattle Sounders announced they'd acquired Dempsey from England's Tottenham Hotspur for a Major League Soccer-record transfer fee of $9 million. Dempsey could make his Sounders debut as soon as Saturday at Toronto, but he missed practice earlier this week due to a virus.
Meanwhile, the U.S. national team will resume action Wednesday at Sarajevo without the star striker. Dempsey was one of the key players in June as the U.S. registered a friendly win over Germany, then won three consecutive matches in CONCACAF qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.
Dempsey was not part of the U.S. squad that won last month's CONCACAF Gold Cup. With a few exceptions, most of the top U.S. players were rested for the continental tournament.
With 35 goals in 99 games for the U.S. national team, Dempsey ranks second on the squad's all-time scoring list behind Landon Donovan, who has 56 goals in 151 games.
The U.S. resumes World Cup qualifying action Sept. 6 with a match at Costa Rica.
According to SI.com, the U.S. team in Bosnia will feature a newcomer, defender John Anthony Brooks. The 20-year-old German-American could still change his allegiance and play for Germany until he takes part in a competitive match for the U.S.
