Dempsey Clint
Clinton Drew Dempsey is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward and midfielder. During his career, he played in the Premier League for Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur and in Major League Soccer for New England Revolution and Seattle Sounders FC. ESPN, Fox Sports, and NBC Sports have each ranked Dempsey as the greatest men’s American soccer player in history. A native of Nacogdoches, Texas, Dempsey spent his youth career with the Dallas Texans before joining Furman University’s men’s soccer team in 2001. In 2004, Dempsey was drafted by the New England Revolution, where he scored 25 goals in 71 appearances. Between 2007 and 2012, Dempsey played for Fulham in the Premier League, eventually becoming the club’s leading Premier League goalscorer. Dempsey also became the first American player to score a hat-trick in the Premier League during a 5–2 win against Newcastle United in 2012. On August 31, 2012, Tottenham signed Dempsey for a fee of $9.6 million, then a record signing for an American. Dempsey scored 12 goals in one season with Tottenham, giving him 72 goals across all competitions for Premier League clubs—the most by an American in a top-tier European league. He was signed by the Seattle Sounders the following year and played 115 matches for the club, scoring 47 goals, and leading the club to win the 2014 Supporters’ Shield. During the 2016 season, Dempsey was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat and missed the team’s run to the MLS Cup. Dempsey returned the following season and announced his retirement from professional soccer on August 29, 2018. Dempsey represented the United States at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship and made his first appearance with the senior team on November 17, 2004, against Jamaica. He earned more than 140 caps and scored 57 international goals, making him the nation’s fourth-most capped player and tying him with Landon Donovan as the top all-time scorer with 57 goals. Dempsey has represented the United States at four CONCACAF Gold Cups (winning three), helped them to the final of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, and scored in each of the three FIFA World Cups he attended. In 2022, Dempsey was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Dempsey Clint
Match Worn Boots
Seattle Sounders F.C.
Did you Know?
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.
