Clint Dempsey

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Clint Dempsey
Personal information
Full name Clinton Drew Dempsey
Date of birth March 9, 1983 (1983-03-09) (age 25)
Place of birth    Nacogdoches, TX, United States
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Playing position Attacking Midfielder, Right Wing
Club information
Current club Fulham
Number 23
Youth clubs
Dallas Texans
Furman Paladins
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
2004–2007
2007–		 New England Revolution
Fulham		 71 (25)
46 0(7)   
National team2
2004– United States 40 0(9)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 20:48, 15 May 2008 (UTC).
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 17:07, 6 June 2008 (UTC).
* Appearances (Goals)

Clinton Drew "Clint" Dempsey a.k.a "Deuce" (born March 9, 1983 in Nacogdoches, Texas) is an American soccer player who plays midfield and forward for Fulham of the Premier League and the United States national team.

Contents

[edit] Youth

Clint Dempsey's exposure to competitive youth soccer began in Dallas, a three-hour drive from his hometown. His older brother Ryan initially went to a tryout for the Dallas Texans, but Clint was noticed and recruited while passing time juggling a ball.[1]

Dempsey began playing competitively at an early age, but had to curtail his team play, due to family time and money constraints as eldest sister Jennifer was on her way to becoming a ranked tennis player.[2] He went on to be the captain and high scorer of the Texans and was honored with MVP in the Tampa Bay Sun Bowl.

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[3]

Dempsey 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 and scored 17 goals.

Dempsey has three surviving siblings (Ryan, Crystal, and Lance).

[edit] Club career

[edit] New England Revolution

Dempsey was drafted eighth in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft by the New England Revolution. Playing as an attacking central midfielder, he scored seven goals in his rookie season and was named MLS Rookie of the Year, despite missing time due to a broken jaw. He missed the decisive penalty kick in a shootout against D.C. United that denied the Revolution a trip to the MLS Cup. In 2005, he scored 10 goals and had nine assists, including five game-winning goals (third best in MLS). Dempsey also contributed in the MLS All-Star Game by assisting on the game-winning goal against Fulham F.C. Dempsey scored the vital goal against the Chicago Fire to put the Revs into MLS Cup 2005. He was named to the MLS Best XI.

In 2004, Dempsey played two games with a broken jaw before the team trainer diagnosed it, and upon his return he played through the pain of a sprained ankle. He has scored repeatedly with diving headers in crowded situations and his quickness in midfield results in defenders frequently fouling him. He was suspended by the Revolution for two weeks in March 2006 for a fist fight with teammate Joe Franchino during a practice game,[4] and was twice suspended by the league during the 2006 season for violent conduct against opponents.[5]

It was widely rumored that Clint would leave New England for a European team.[6] He trained with Dutch team Feyenoord Rotterdam[7][8] and stated that "there are some teams interested in the EPL." In August 2006, Charlton Athletic offered a transfer fee for Dempsey of $1.5 million.[9] The offer was rejected by MLS, disappointing Dempsey who felt the move was necessary for him to continue improving.[10][11] Dempsey stated that he would not stay in MLS when his contract ran out in late 2007, regardless of salary.

Dempsey playing for Fulham in 2007.
Dempsey playing for Fulham in 2007.

[edit] Fulham

In December 2006, Fulham F.C. offered MLS a $4 million transfer fee for Dempsey, then the largest amount ever offered for an MLS player.[12][13] 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.[14]

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.[15] 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.[16][17] From the start of the 2007-08 Premiership season, Dempsey has been a key part of the starting squad for Fulham. He is currently the club's top scorer, with 6 goals, all scored in the Premier League.

In May 2008 Dempsey received an automatic contract extension from Fulham that will keep him at the club through 2010.[18]

[edit] International career

Dempsey first played for the United States 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. On May 2, 2006, he was named to the U.S. roster for the 2006 FIFA World Cup tournament in Germany. He currently has played over 20 games with the senior team and has recorded six goals and two assists, including the lone goal in the United States' 1-0 victory over Poland in March 2006 and the only goal by a U.S. player in the 2006 World Cup (an equalizing goal in the Americans' eventual 2-1 loss to Ghana). Dempsey has been an instrumental player in many of the United States international matches.

Dempsey won United States men's soccer's highest individual honor when he was named Honda Player of the Year for 2006, beating Kasey Keller and Brian McBride in a poll of sportswriters. Dempsey received 237 points in voting by 207 sports journalists to claim the award.

[edit] 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 intended to showcase both the sport's working-class roots and the United States team ahead of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.[19] The song's video is dedicated to his sister Jennifer and at Dempsey's request, it ends with a shot of him placing a flower at her grave.[2]

[edit] International Goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 2005-05-28 Chicago, Illinois Flag of England England 1-2 1-2 Friendly match
2 2005-07-07 Seattle, Washington Flag of Cuba Cuba 1-1 4-1 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup
3 2006-06-03 San Francisco, California Flag of Japan Japan 2-0 3-2 Friendly match
4 2006-03-01 Kaiserslautern, Germany Flag of Poland Poland 1-0 1-0 Friendly match
5 2006-05-26 Cleveland, Ohio Flag of Venezuela Venezuela 2-0 2-0 Friendly match
6 2006-06-22 Nuremberg, Germany Flag of Ghana Ghana 1-1 1-2 2006 FIFA World Cup
7 2007-06-02 San Jose, California Flag of the People's Republic of China China PR 3-1 4-1 Friendly match
8 2007-06-07 Carson, California Flag of Guatemala Guatemala 1-0 1-0 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup
9 2007-09-08 Chicago, Illinois Flag of Brazil Brazil 2-2 2-4 Friendly match

[edit] References

  1. ^ Hairopoulos, Kate. "Quite a trip for U.S. midfielder", The Dallas Morning News, June 8, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-07-14. 
  2. ^ a b Drehs, Wayne. "No ordinary background", ESPNSoccernet, June 8, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-06-22. 
  3. ^ Connolly, Marc. "Rookie of the year is still a rookie", ESPNSoccernet, February 7, 2005. Retrieved on 2006-07-14. 
  4. ^ Fight injury delays Franchino from taking Costa Rica flight with Revs. Soccer Times (March 17, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-07-14.
  5. ^ Dempsey suspended two games for violent conduct. Associated Press via ESPNSoccernet (August 15, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-15.
  6. ^ Holmes, Stanley. "Soccer's American Idols", BusinessWeek, June 5, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-06-26. 
  7. ^ Hush, Andrew. "No Toffee for Dempsey", Soccer New England, November 30, 2005. Retrieved on 2006-08-14. 
  8. ^ O'Conor, Sean. "Dempsey feeling continental pull", Yanks Abroad, March 7, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-07-14. 
  9. ^ Cohen, Steven & Geber, Nick. World Soccer Daily (0:36:00-0:57:00) http://www.worldsoccerdaily.com
  10. ^ Dell'Apa, Frank. "Twellman says he's underpaid", Boston Globe, August 16, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-08-16. 
  11. ^ Bell, Graham & Richards, Gary. The 2 G's (@ 0:27:20) www.the2gs.com Podcast accessed on 2006-08-14.
  12. ^ Frank Dell'Apa. "Dempsey could set the tone for future MLS transfers", ESPNsoccernet, January 7, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-07-07. 
  13. ^ Frank Dell'Apa. "Transfer of power for Revolution", The Boston Globe, February 27, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-07-07. 
  14. ^ New England Soccer. "Dempsey work permit approved", Soccer New England, January 10, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-01-10. 
  15. ^ Tactical Formation. Football-Lineups.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-25.
  16. ^ Fulham 1-0 Liverpool. Fulham Football Club. Retrieved on 2007-05-11.
  17. ^ Dempsey's Golden Goal. Fulham Football Club (2007-05-08). Retrieved on 2007-05-11.
  18. ^ Podcast Interview with Clint Dempsey. U.S. Soccer (2008-05-07). Retrieved on 2008-05-09.
  19. ^ Carlisle, Jeff. "Don't Tread on Clint", ESPNSoccernet, February 7, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-07-14. 

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Oguchi Onyewu		 U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year
2007		 Succeeded by
Incumbent

1991 Hugo Perez | 1992 Eric Wynalda | 1993 Thomas Dooley | 1994 Marcelo Balboa | 1995 Alexi Lalas | 1996 Eric Wynalda | 1997 Eddie Pope | 1998 Cobi Jones | 1999 Kasey Keller | 2000 Claudio Reyna | 2001 Earnie Stewart | 2002 Landon Donovan | 2003 Landon Donovan | 2004 Landon Donovan | 2005 Kasey Keller | 2006 Clint Dempsey | 2007 Landon Donovan
v • d • e
United States squad - 2006 FIFA World Cup
1 Howard • 2 Albright • 3 Bocanegra • 4 Mastroeni • 5 O'Brien • 6 Cherundolo • 7 Lewis • 8 Dempsey • 9 Johnson • 10 Reyna • 11 Ching • 12 Berhalter • 13 Conrad • 14 Olsen • 15 Convey • 16 Wolff • 17 Beasley • 18 Keller • 19 Hahnemann • 20 McBride • 21 Donovan • 22 Onyewu • 23 Pope • Coach: Arena
 Flag of the United States
v • d • e
Fulham F.C. – current squad

1 Keller • 2 Volz • 4 Konchesky • 6 Stefanović • 7 Seol • 8 Smertin • 9 Healy • 11 Kamara • 13 Batista • 14 Johnson • 15 Nevland • 18 Hughes • 21 Bullard • 22 Omozusi • 23 Dempsey • 24 Bouazza • 25 Davies • 26 Andreasen • 27 Murphy • 28 Milsom • 29 Niemi • 30 Brown • 31 Watts • 32 Hangeland • 33 Kallio • 34 Baird • 37 Leijer • 38 Ashton • –– Cook • –– Davis • –– John • –– Schwarzer • –– Stockdale • –– Zakuani • Manager: Hodgson


Persondata
NAME Dempsey, Clinton Drew
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Dempsey, Clint
SHORT DESCRIPTION American soccer player
DATE OF BIRTH 9 March 1983
PLACE OF BIRTH Nacogdoches, TX , United States
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH