(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

TUKWILA, Wash. (AP) Seattle Sounders star Clint Dempsey said Tuesday the symptoms that eventually led him to being diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat first surfaced last February but it wasn't until late summer that it became serious enough to affect his ability to play.

Dempsey spoke to the media for the first time since he was diagnosed with the irregular heartbeat in August and his season was shut down. He was a spectator as the Sounders went on to win their first MLS Cup title and missed the beginning of World Cup qualifying for the United States.

"It was a heart issue. It's something that's difficult to kind of explain," Dempsey said. "But at the same time I'm not feeling those things anymore and I'm happy to be back playing."

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