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Chicago - US coach Jurgen Klinsmann plans to talk with Seattle striker Clint Dempsey about the referee abuse incident that brought the forward a three-game ban, but will not keep him out of next month's Gold Cup tournament.
Klinsmann named Dempsey to the 23-man American roster for the biennial North American championship despite the former Fulham and Tottenham standout tearing up a referee's notebook in a US Open Cup match against Portland last week.
That incident and the ejection that followed prompted Major League Soccer to issue Dempsey a three-match ban, which Dempsey will have completed by this weekend so he will be available for the Gold Cup starting with a tuneup match next week against Guatemala.
"It's a mistake and mistakes happen," Klinsmann said.
"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," the coach added.
"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."
The US will try to defend its 2013 Gold Cup crown and ensure a berth in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia as a result.
If they fail to repeat, the club that does win the title will play the US squad for the trip to Russia.
