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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Clint Dempsey given minimum 2-year suspension from U.S. Open Cup

Matt Pentz Seattle Times

TUKWILA, Wash. – Sounders forward Clint Dempsey has been suspended for a total of six U.S. Open Cup matches or the next two years of the competition – whichever is greater – and fined an undisclosed amount, the federation announced Thursday.

Dempsey’s punishment stems from his actions in extra time of Seattle’s 3-1 loss to Portland last Tuesday at Starfire Stadium, when he grabbed referee Daniel Radford’s notebook and tore it up to earn a red card. Sounders Brad Evans and Micheal Azira also earned red cards, and coupled with Obafemi Martins’ injury, the team ended the game with seven players and the referees exited the field of play under police escort.

Last Tuesday “wasn’t our proudest moment,” Sounders owner Adrian Hanauer admitted last week.

“The Open Cup is a tournament we take very seriously,” Hanauer said. “So the passion comes out. We wanted to win that game Tuesday night. We wanted to win in Salt Lake City. I think that the passion may have been misappropriated - from players, coaches, fans and staff.”

Seattle has won four of the past six Open Cups, and last year’s title was Dempsey’s first club trophy.

If his team is eliminated in the first round for the next six seasons, the star forward wouldn’t be eligible again until 2022 – when he will be 39 years old.

Dempsey was also suspended for three Major League Soccer matches by the league prior to the Sounders’ home loss to San Jose on Saturday, a ban that leads into his international duty with the U.S. national team during next month’s Gold Cup.

Dempsey waived his right to appeal, and has yet to publicly address the topic.