Klinsmann: Dempsey's red card ‘something that nobody wants to see’
U.S. men's national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann addressed forward Clint Dempsey's recent red card for the first time in an interview with the American soccer federation's website published Monday.
“The situation with Clint Dempsey, obviously, is something that I saw basically on the internet,” Klinsmann said. “I was in Europe still after our games against Holland and Germany. It’s something that nobody wants to see. It’s a mistake, and mistakes happen. So, obviously when he comes in next week to Nashville in preparation for our friendly game with Guatemala, we’ll sit down and talk through that and we’ll go from there. It’s something that nobody wants to go through. Nobody wants to get red carded. Nobody wants to get suspended and be in discussion by the fans and the media for a mistake you make. But it’s on the other hand, it’s part of the game too. So we’ll take a little bit of a step back and we’ll discuss it in person in a relaxed way and go from there.”
• STRAUS: Klinsmann turns to experienced USA squad Gold Cup
Dempsey was shown a red card during a fourth-round U.S. Open Cup match against the Portland Timbers last week when he ripped up a referee's notebook. MLS commissioner Don Garber suspended Dempsey for three league games and issued him a fine, but the captain will be allowed to play in the upcoming Gold Cup.
Klinsmann announced his Gold Cup roster on Tuesday, with Dempsey among the 23 players included.
- Dan Gartland
