Clint Dempsey

Dempsey was born in Nacogdoches, Texas, and is of Irish ancestry on his father's side. For much of his childhood, Dempsey's family lived in a trailer park where he and his siblings grew up playing soccer with the complex's large population of Hispanic immigrants. In his teens, Dempsey maintained these ties playing in a local Mexican-dominated adult league. His older brother, Ryan, was offered a tryout for the Dallas Texans, an elite youth soccer club, and brought Dempsey, who 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 financial constraints as his eldest sister Jennifer was becoming a ranked youth tennis player. Several parents of his teammates with the Texans offered to assist the Dempseys with expenses and travel, allowing him to rejoin the club. On November 27, 1995, Dempsey's 16-year-old sister Jennifer died from a brain aneurysm. Dempsey was devastated with the family's loss and later explained that this event helped him develop a deeper motivation to pursue soccer in honor of his sister. He went on to be the captain and high scorer of the Texans and was honored with the MVP of the Tampa Bay Sun Bowl tournament. Dempsey studied the play of Argentina's national team, especially Diego Maradona, and was heartbroken when the news came to Nacogdoches that Maradona would not be playing in the 1994 World Cup game played in the Cotton Bowl. He attended Furman…

New England Revolution

The New England Revolution selected Clint Dempsey with their first pick (eighth overall) in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft. He made his Revolution debut in the 2004 season home opener, a 3–1 loss against the San Jose Earthquakes on April 17, 2004. The match was notable as the final home appearance for Revolution striker Joe-Max Moore. Dempsey scored his first MLS goal the following week, giving the Revolution a 12th minute lead against the MetroStars on April 25. In his rookie season, Dempsey started 23 of 24 matches, playing at least three with a broken jaw, and scoring seven goals, tied for third on the team with Steve Ralston. Dempsey helped the Revolution to the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals and earned 2004 MLS Rookie of the Year Honors, beating out finalists Freddy Adu and Chad Marshall. He was also named the 2004 Man of the Year by the Midnight Riders, and was named an MLS All-Star. In 2005, Dempsey contributed ten goals and nine assists in 26 games, second in team scoring behind Taylor Twellman. He was named MLS Player of the Week for matchweek 4, and won MLS Goal of the Week in matchweek 5, a strike which was subsequently a finalist for 2005 MLS Goal of the Year. He scored the game-winning goal in the 4th minute of the Eastern Conference Final on his way to an appearance in the MLS Cup Final. He was again named an MLS All-Star, and also named a member of the MLS Best XI.

In March of 2006, Dempsey received a two-week suspension for fighting…

For the national team, Dempsey has frequently lined up as a striker due to his scoring threat and aerial ability, but his preferred and more normal role is off the striker.

Early career: 2005 and 2007 Gold Cups and 2006 World Cup

Dempsey first played for the United States 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 in qualification for the 2006 World Cup, replacing Ramiro Corrales for the final 23 minutes of a 1–1 draw at the Columbus Crew Stadium. On May 28, 2005, he scored his first international goal on his sixth cap, a consolation in a 2–1 defeat to England at Soldier Field, Chicago, by heading in after a save by goalkeeper David James. Dempsey's first international tournament was the United States' victorious 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup campaign; he netted their first goal, equalising as they came from behind to defeat Cuba 4–1 at Qwest Field in Seattle. Dempsey was named to the US roster for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He was the only American player to score a goal in the tournament, a group stage elimination, with his equalizing goal in the Americans' eventual 2–1 loss to Ghana. He won the highest individual honor in soccer in America 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…

Dempsey is known for his versatility and ability to play either as a forward, winger or attacking midfielder, depending on the formation. As a result, he has been categorized interchangeably as a forward or midfielder, as evidenced in the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup squads where he was classified as a forward (FW) in the latter tournament and a midfielder (MF) in the former. During his time in Fulham, he established himself as goal-scorer who is able to score with both his head and feet, especially during important matches. Critics have described him as "audacious" due to his penchant for the odd "wonder goal" and reputation as "the guy who walked onto the field and started doing backheels", leading former national team coach Bruce Arena to say of him, "He tries shit."

His wonder goal for Fulham in the 2010 Europa League [round of 16] against Juventus, an audacious chip from the very edge of the penalty box, was a counterpoint to the narrative of American soccer players as brutish, hustling grunt workers. [H]is game was as creative, and as instinctual, as any American's of this or any other generation. Nobody was more likely to drop a back heel through traffic.

Dempsey has occasionally been prone to aggressive play including physical altercations with opponents over the course of his career, which have sometimes resulted in suspensions.