Clint Dempsey suspended from U.S. Open Cup after shredding ref’s notebook

Hey, so remember when Clint Dempsey smacked a ref’s notebook out of his hand, then picked it up and tore it to pieces?

Turns out the powers that be don’t love when you do that:

That’s a lot more than just the initial red card, but it’s not as huge a deal as it sounds. This doesn’t affect Dempsey’s normal MLS participation or anything involving the national team. He just happens to be kicked out of a tournament that the Sounders -- one of the few teams that actually takes it seriously -- routinely win. The USSF ain’t that scary.

But, lesson learned: Don’t take things from a ref and shred them. They punish you for that.