Dempsey gets two-year ban from US Open Cup

In addition, Dempsey has been fined an undisclosed amount.

New York — Seattle Sounders striker Clint Dempsey has been banned from the US Open Cup for at least two years after an incident in which he was sent off for ripping up a referee’s notebook. Dempsey has already been suspended for three games by Major League Soccer (MLS) after the incident in which he was given a red card.

The United States Soccer Federation said in a statement that Dempsey had been banned for “a total of six US Open Cup matches or the next two years of US Open Cup competition, whichever is greater. In addition, Dempsey has been fined an undisclosed amount.”

The former Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur forward has waived his right to appeal the decision which related to the US Open Cup match between Seattle and the Portland Timbers on June 16. Dempsey lost his cool after the Sounders’ Michael Azira was sent off.

He took referee Daniel Radford’s notebook and threw it to the ground, earning a yellow card for dissent. Dempsey then tore up the notebook, drawing a straight red card for abuse. Since MLS clubs enter the US Open Cup in the later rounds, Dempsey could miss more than two years of the competition.

“Due to the suspension, Dempsey cannot play in any US Open Cup matches in 2016 or 2017, and possibly longer depending on the number of tournament games in which Dempsey’s team participates.