Clint Dempsey

With 142 appearances over 13 years, Clint Dempsey helped define one of the most exciting eras of the U.S. Men’s National Team. Known for his aggressive style and attacking flair, Dempsey excelled on the club front in Europe like few U.S. players before or since. Playing both as a midfielder and forward, Dempsey finished his international career tied with Landon Donovan as the U.S. MNT’s joint-leading goal scorer, though he got to 57 goals in 17 less games. The first U.S. MNT player to score in three different FIFA World Cups and a spearhead of three Concacaf Gold Cup winning teams, Dempsey is widely considered one of the greatest U.S. players of all time.

Growing up in Nacogdoches, Texas, Dempsey honed his craft early on by playing in local adult leagues with a heavy Latin influence. As he developed, his parents began making a six-hour round trip so he could train and play with elite youth club Dallas Texans. He’d go on to be a standout at Furman University and was squad player on the USA team at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championships in the United Arab Emirates. Drafted the following year by the New England Revolution, Dempsey earned MLS Rookie of the Year honors and was rewarded at the end of the campaign by earning his first U.S. MNT cap in a match against Jamaica during the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Over the next decade, his career followed an impressive arc, seeing him become the first U.S. MNT player to score in three FIFA World Cups and helping the MNT to its first-even FIFA Final at the 2009 Confederations Cup. He played a key role in all four of his Concacaf Gold Cup Appearances, leading the USA to titles in 2005, 2007 and 2017. That most recent win saw Dempsey become the MNT’s joint all-time leading goal scorer when he tallied his 57th and final international goal off a free kick in a 2-0 semifinal win against Costa Rica on July 22, 2017 in Arlington, Texas.

Dempsey’s career with the U.S. MNT was as lengthy as it was distinguished and included a number of firsts. As captain of the squad of the 2014 squad in Brazil he became the first male player in US history to score goals in three FIFA World Cups with a goal against Ghana just 29 seconds into the team’s opening match. This became USA’s fastest World Cup goal, and fifth-fastest in tournament history. Despite suffering a broken nose in the match, he took the field for the MNT’s next game against Portugal, again scoring in what was a critical 2-2 draw.

Not content to only achieve at the international level, Dempsey had a storied club career that took him far from his hometown of Nacogdoches, Texas. He was selected 8th overall in the 2004 MLS Super Draft the by New England Revolution, then one of the top teams in the league. After two years marked by regular starts and a frustrating injury, he was offered a $4 million contract with English Premier League side Fulham, at the time the highest price ever for an MLS player. Alongside fellow MNT players Brian McBride and Carlos Bocanegra, Dempsey continued his scoring ways at Fulham, making 184 appearances and netting 50 goals.

Among his long list of highlights at the club include his first goal for the Cottagers in May 2007 against Liverpool which saved Fulham from Premier League relegation. During the club’s improbable run to the 2009-10 Europa League Final, Dempsey showed his flair with an impressive chip in the second leg of the Round of 16 tie with Juventus which went on to win awards for goal of the season in England. Then in January 2012, Dempsey became the first U.S. player to record a hat trick in the English Premier League during a 5-2 win against Newcastle United.

When Dempsey left Fulham for Tottenham Hotspur in 2012, he did so as the club’s leading goal scorer in Premier League play and a bonafide legend at Craven Cottage. After one season with Tottenham, Dempsey returned Stateside in the summer of 2013 to join Seattle Sounders FC. The kid from Nacogdoches led Seattle to the more glory, with Sounders FC claiming the 2014 MLS Supporters Shield and U.S. Open Cup titles before claiming its first MLS Cup crown in 2016, before a return trip to the Final the following year. Dempsey retired in August 2018, leaving behind a dominant legacy that defined him as one of the greatest U.S. players of all time.