Clinton Drew Dempsey

 

• Date of Birth: 9 March 1983
• Height: 185 cm
• Shirt number: 8
• Position: Midfielder
• Current club: Fulham (ENG)
• International Caps: 63
• International Goals: 19
• First international: USA - Jamaica (17 November 2004)

Clinton Drew "Clint" Dempsey is an American soccer player who currently plays for English Premier League club Fulham and for the United States national team. A versatile attacking player known for his ball skills, he can be used on either wing or as a striker.

A bustling striker with an eye for goal and keen dribbling ability, Clint Dempsey first began kicking a ball around with the Latin America immigrant population in the small Texas town of Nacogdoches, where he grew up humbly in a trailer. One of the more colourful characters in the USA line-up, he is also one of its most successful, carving out a thriving career in the English Premier League with London side Fulham.

 

More at home playing off a genuine centre-forward, Dempsey's touch on the ball is his primary strength. He made a name for himself in Major League Soccer, first lining up for the Boston-based New England Revolution in 2004. Occupying a hybrid striker-attacking midfielder role, Dempsey took the league by storm and was named MLS ‘rookie of the year' (best new player). With his goals, dribbling and ferocity both on and off the ball, he led the Revs to three MLS Cups (the one-off game that decides MLS's champion) in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

 

Dempsey made his USA debut in 2004, the same year he became a fan favourite with his club side. Dominant performances for club and country soon made a move away from the USA a foregone conclusion. Although New England did what they could to keep hold of their star performer, the English Premier League's glitz and glamour proved too much to resist for the player who grew up with limited means. Fulham bought Dempsey for a then record 4 million USD transfer fee in 2006. He made his debut in 2007, but remained a seldom used sub for the remainder of the season.

 

The next season (2007-2008) he came to life, becoming the team's top scorer and establishing himself in the high-tempo environs of the English top flight. Now under coach Roy Hodgson, Dempsey is a regular starter in a surprise Craven Cottage side that is overachieving in the league and in Europe.

 

One of the most steadily played and most respected US players in Europe, Clint's career with the national team is just as impressive. After a 2004 debut, he became a regular fixture in the side, making a mark with his ability on the ball but also with his battling nature, always fighting for the cause. He scored the USA's only goal at the FIFA World Cup™ in Germany in 2006, won the CONCACAF Gold Cup twice in 2005 and 2007, played a crucial role in the USA’s run to the final of the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2009 and has earned a creditable 17 goals in 59 international appearances (not all as a striker). Dempsey, who is widely known for his second career as hip-hop artist ‘Deuce,' has also covered himself in glory on an individual basis, picking up the US national team player of the year award in 2006 and US Soccer athlete of the year honours in 2007.

Youth

Dempsey was born in Texas and for much of his childhood, his family lived in a trailer park, where he and his siblings grew up playing soccer with the local Mexican immigrant children.

His older brother Ryan was offered a tryout for the Dallas Texans, one of America's elite youth soccer clubs, but young Clint, who had come along, was noticed and recruited while passing time juggling a ball on the sidelines. Dempsey became a standout on the team at an early age, but had to quit due to his family's time and money constraints as his eldest sister Jennifer was becoming a ranked youth tennis player. But several parents of his teammates with the Texans offered to assist the Dempseys with expenses and travel, allowing him to rejoin the club. He went on to be the captain and high scorer of the Texans and was honored with MVP in the Tampa Bay Sun Bowl tournament.

Dempsey studied the play of Argentina, especially Diego Maradona. Clint was heartbroken when the news came to Nacogdoches that Maradona would not be playing in the 1994 FIFA World Cup game played in the Cotton Bowl. He attended Furman University as a health and exercise major and a key player for the Paladins. In his three seasons at Furman, Dempsey started 61 out of 62 games in central midfield and scored 17 goals.

 

Club career

Fulham

In December 2006, Fulham offered MLS a $4 million transfer fee for Dempsey, then the largest amount ever offered for an MLS player. The league agreed to the transfer; however, Dempsey still needed to receive a work permit from the United Kingdom Home Office. On January 10, 2007, the Home Office granted Dempsey the work permit, thus allowing him to play in England.

Dempsey made his first appearance for Fulham shortly thereafter, coming on as a late substitute in Fulham's match against Tottenham Hotspur on January 20, 2007. However, for the remainder of the spring of 2007 Dempsey was used only sparingly by a relegation-threatened Fulham. On May 5, 2007, Dempsey scored his first and only goal of the 2006–07 season for Fulham after coming on as a 54th minute substitute against Liverpool, in a vital match which Fulham won 1–0. The goal ensured Fulham's top flight status for the 2007–08 season.

Dempsey was a key part of the starting squad for Fulham during the 2007–08 Premier League season. His six goals, all scored in the Premier League, made him Fulham's top scorer in league play and tied for the club lead in all competitions. In May 2008, Dempsey received an automatic contract extension from Fulham that would have kept him at the club through 2010. Dempsey scored his first goal on the 2008–2009 campaign on October 26, 2008, against Portsmouth. Coming on as a 70th-minute sub, Dempsey volleyed home an Erik Nevland cross past David James to tie the game at 1–1. On December 28, 2008, Dempsey started in the SW6 Derby against Chelsea and scored both goals for Fulham, one a chest and flick past Petr Čech that put Fulham ahead, and the other an 89th-minute equalizing header off a Simon Davies corner. On April 12, 2009, Dempsey was voted Man of the Match in a 3–1 win over Manchester City at Eastlands, in which he scored two goals.

On August 13, 2009, Dempsey signed a contract extension to remain with Fulham through 2013.  On August 20, 2009, he scored his first goal in European competition, in the newly formed Europa League, netting Fulham's second goal in a 3–1 win against Amkar Perm in the play-off round. On December 30, 2009, La Gazzetta dello Sport named Dempsey as one of the top eleven Premier League players of the season. On 17 January, 2010, Dempsey suffered a suspected cruciate knee ligament injury in a 2–0 away defeat to Blackburn Rovers. On March 11, 2010, Dempsey returned, coming on in the last minute of Fulham's loss away to Juventus and then completed 72 minutes of their away loss to Manchester United in the league. On March 18, 2010, Dempsey came off the bench against Juventus in their second leg last 16 tie in the Europa League and scored the winner on a long chip shot. The Guardian suggested that the goal "might become the most famous goal in Fulham's history". On 12 May 2010, Dempsey replaced Bobby Zamora in the 55th minute of the 2010 UEFA Europa League Final, thus making history in becoming the first ever American to appear in a major European final. In the end, Fulham lost the match, as Atlético Madrid's Diego Forlan scored in the 116th minute of extra-time, giving Madrid a 2-1 win. His performances throughout 2009–10 earned him the designation of Most Valuable Player amongst Americans in Europe by SoccerOverThere.com, among other sources.

 

International career

Dempsey first played for the American national team at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates. He made his first appearance with the senior team on November 17, 2004 against Jamaica. He currently has 63 caps with the senior team and has recorded 19 goals, having established himself as a first-choice player when healthy. He has frequently lined up as a striker due to his scoring threat and aerial ability, but his preferred and more normal role is on the wing. He won the highest individual honor in American soccer when he was named Honda Player of the Year for 2006, beating Fulham teammates Kasey Keller and Brian McBride in a poll of sportswriters. Dempsey received 237 points in voting by 207 sports journalists to claim the award.

On May 2, 2006, Dempsey was named to the U.S. roster for the 2006 FIFA World Cup tournament in Germany. He became the only American player to score a goal in the tournament with his equalizing goal in the Americans' eventual 2–1 loss to Ghana.

In the United States' opening 2010 World Cup qualifier, Dempsey recorded the fastest goal in U.S. qualifying history with a chest trap and sliding shot 53 seconds into a 8–0 defeat of Barbados. But thereafter, Dempsey experienced a dip in form leading some to doubt his first-choice status with the national team. However, Dempsey turned his fortunes around in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. In the final group stage match against Egypt, Dempsey scored a trademark diving header off a Jonathan Spector cross, making the final result 3–0. This, combined with Brazil's 3–0 victory against Italy in the other group match that was being played simultaneously, put the U.S. through to the semifinals. In the semi-final match against Spain, Dempsey scored to put the USA up 2–0 to send them to the finals. He was named the Man of the Match for his performance. Dempsey scored in his third straight game in the Confederations Cup Final against Brazil, redirecting a similar cross from Spector in the 10th minute to open the scoring. Following the loss, he was awarded the Bronze Ball as the tournament's 3rd best performer. He ended the World Cup qualifying campaign tied with Landon Donovan as the team's 2nd top scorer, behind Jozy Altidore, with five goals in thirteen matches.

On June 12, 2010, Dempsey became the second American (the first being Brian McBride) to score in more than one World Cup when he scored the equalizer goal against England in the Americans' first game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup after the English goalkeeper Robert Green made a major error.

 

Playing style

Known for his toughness, Dempsey played two games with a broken jaw in 2004 before the team trainer diagnosed it, and upon his return, he played through the pain of a sprained ankle. Despite usually playing in wide positions, he frequently scores close-range goals and has scored repeatedly with diving headers in crowded situations. His tenacity in midfield combined with his audacious dribbling skills frequently results in opponents fouling him, and Dempsey has gained a reputation for fierce play. He was suspended by the New England Revolution for two weeks in March 2006 for a fist fight with teammate Joe Franchino during a practice game and was twice suspended by MLS during the 2006 season for violent conduct against opponents, including an elbow that broke the jaw of national teammate Jimmy Conrad. In a similar incident with Fulham in 2007, Dempsey broke the cheekbone of Chelsea defender John Terry in an aerial challenge but was not penalized.

Dempsey is a versatile attacking midfielder normally played on the left or right for Fulham and the United States. However, he has proven to be more of a threat the closer to goal he gets. His goals against Egypt and Spain in the Confederations Cup came almost immediately after being moved to forward by a substitution from Bob Bradley.

 

Honours

International

* CONCACAF Gold Cup (2): 2005, 2007

Individual

* MLS Rookie of the Year Award: 2004
* Honda Player of the Year: 2006
* MLS Best XI: 2005, 2006
* U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year: 2007
* FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Ball: 2009

 

Music

One of Dempsey's passions outside of soccer is hip hop music. Using the alias "Deuce," he, along with fellow Texas rappers XO and the late Houston rapper Big Hawk from the Screwed Up Click, are featured rapping the song "Don't Tread" in a Nike football advertising campaign for the 2006 FIFA World Cup with the intention to showcase both the sport's working-class roots and the United States team ahead of the World Cup. The song's video is dedicated to his sister Jennifer, who, at age sixteen, was suddenly struck with a fatal brain aneurysm. At Dempsey's request, the video ends with a shot of him placing a flower at her grave