As a seasoned veteran of the USMNT, Clint Dempsey will be one player that Jürgen Klinsmann will be heavily counting on as the Stars and Stripes aspire to go as far in this summer's Copa América Centenario tournament. Dempsey is naturally no stranger to international tournaments, with several World Cups and Gold Cups in his roster, but this will be his first ever Copa América competition.
Dempsey's fact file
The player fans know as Clint Dempsey was born as Clinton Drew Dempsey on March 9th, 1983 in Nacogdoches, Texas. Growing up, money was very tight for the Dempsey family and he took his first footballing steps playing with mainly Hispanic kids until eventually being signed by youth club Dallas Texas in 1998 at the age of 15.
Were it not for the generosity of other parents, who stepped in to contribute financially, Dempsey would not have been able to become the world-known USMNT star and that he is today. After playing university football at Furman, he began his professional career with New England Revolution in 2004 and after a lengthy and successful spell with Fulham, followed by a short stint with Tottenham, now currently plays his club football with Seattle Sounders, where he has been based since 2013.
How he stays in contact with his fans
Like the vast majority of sportsmen, Dempsey has a presence on social media, and here are the numbers behind his different accounts:
Facebook: 815K fans
Twitter: 743K followers
Instagram: 574K followers
Dempsey's style of play and impact in past tournaments
Although he has featured as a striker on numerous occasions for the USMNT and his varied clubs, Dempsey prefers to play off the main striker - or off the ball in general. When put in situations where he has to take charge of any possession or playmaking duties for his team, his impact on the game and overall output tend to be reduced. In essence, he relies on someone to take care of this to allow him to move about more freely in the final third.
Some of Dempsey's attributes are his uncanny knack of popping up in goal-scoring positions and ability to give defenders the slip. USMNT fans got a clear example of this during the 2014 World Cup when he netted the team's first goal against Ghana in a literally "blink and you'll miss it moment".
A full senior international since 2004, Dempsey has also played an integral role in the USMNT's success in clinching the 2005 and 2007 Gold Cups as well as finishing as runners' up during the 2009 Confederations Cup.
Highlights and achievements for club and country
- 2009/2010 Europa League runner up (Fulham)
- 2x Fulham Player of the season (2011, 2012)
- 2015 Gold Cup top goalscorer - 7 goals
- 2009 Confederations Cup runner up
- 2009 Confederations Cup Bronze Ball winner
- 2014 US Open Cup (Seattle Sounders)
- 2014 Supporters' Shield (Seattle Sounders)
Key moments from Clint Dempsey's 2015/2016 campaign
The 2015/2016 campaign was a quiet and disappointing one for Dempsey. Although he finished the 2015 Gold Cup as the tournament's top marksman, he was unable to inspire the Stars and Stripes to clinch the title.
There was also some frustration at club level. Shortly before the Gold Cup, Dempsey and the Seattle Sounders took on rivals Portland Timbers during the fourth round of the US Open Cup. It was a day surely he had to forget in a hurry as he was sent off after ripping up the referee's notebook in protest to one of his teammate's dismissals.
As a result of this, he was slapped with two fines, a three game ban in MLS and a two year ban from US Open Cup activities. And finally, shortly after, Jurgen Klinsmann opted to strip him of the captaincy of the USMNT and give it to Michael Bradley.
It goes without saying that Dempsey is naturally looking to have a much more successful spell of results - both with country and club - at the Copa América Centenario and in the 2016 MLS season.
Bet you didn't know that...
- Clint Dempsey is the first American player to score a hat-trick in the Premier League (Fulham 5-2 Newcastle United, January 21, 2012)
- It took him just 29 seconds to score against Ghana during the 2014 World Cup on June 16th. This is the fastest ever goal in American World Cup history and the fifth-fastest ever in World Cup history
- First USMNT player to score in three consecutive World Cups.
- His goal against Italy on February 29, 2012 gave the USA their first win over the Azzurri in 11 matches since 1934
- First American player to reach 50 goals in the Premier League
- On May 12, 2010, Dempsey became the first American to feature in a major European final when he featured for Fulham in the 2010 Europa League final against Atletico Madrid
- One of his motivating factors to play professional football was his elder sister, Jennifer, who tragically died of a brain aneurysm when Dempsey was only 12 years old.
- Not only is he a huge fan of rap music, but has been featured rapping in a song. Back in 2006, Dempsey, aka "Deuce", teamed up with some Texan hip-hop artists to produce the song "Don't Tread".
- Produced in 2006, "Don't Tread" was part of a Nike ad campaign prior to the World Cup, and the video is dedicated to his elder sister, Jennifer
Watch highlights of Clint Dempsey with his "Don't Tread" rap song in the background!
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This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
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