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Clint Dempsey

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Clint Dempsey
File:Clint Dempsey2.jpg
Personal information
Full name Clint Drew Dempsey
Height 6 ft 1 in (185cm)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 New England Revolution
Number 2
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 June 2006

Clint Drew Dempsey (Born March 9, 1983 in Nacogdoches, Texas) is an American soccer player, who plays midfield for the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer.

Youth

His 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]

He began playing competitively, 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. Soon after, at age 16, she was suddenly struck with a brain aneurysm and died. Clint then resumed team play with the Texans in Dallas, playing with greater motivation than before.[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 has three surviving siblings (Ryan, Crystal, and Lance).

The Dempseys 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.

MLS & International Career

Dempsey was drafted ninth 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 Revs 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 from the Revolution for two weeks in March 2006 for a fist fight with teammate Joe Franchino during a practice game[4].

On May 2, 2006, Dempsey was named to the U.S. roster for the 2006 FIFA World Cup tournament in Germany. He first played for the United States 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. 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).

European Move?

Dempsey has been rumored as a candidate for possible transfer to a European league. [5] [6]. He has trained with Dutch team Feyenoord Rotterdam in the past.[7][6]

Trivia

  • Dempsey is a fan favorite not only for the quality of his play, but also for the colorful style he brings to the sport. He is renowned for his eccentric goal celebrations, including jumping into the stands to kiss his mother, imitating a baseball player hitting a home run, a bass fisherman, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz (by clicking his heels three times), "Stop, Drop, and Roll," and many others.[8]
  • One of Dempsey's passions outside of soccer is hip hop music. Using the alias "Deuce", he, along with the late Houston rapper Big Hawk, is featured rapping the song "Don't Tread" in a Nike soccer advertising campaign intended to showcase both the sport's working-class roots and the United States team ahead of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.[9] 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]

See also

References

  1. ^ Hairopoulos, Kate (June 8, 2006). "Quite a trip for U.S. midfielder". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved July 14, 2006.
  2. ^ a b Drehs, Wayne (June 8, 2006). "No ordinary background". ESPNSoccernet. Retrieved June 22, 2006.
  3. ^ Connolly, Marc (February 7, 2005). "Rookie of the year is still a rookie". ESPNSoccernet. Retrieved July 14, 2006.
  4. ^ "Fight injury delays Franchino from taking Costa Rica flight with Revs". Soccer Times. March 17, 2006. Retrieved July 14, 2006.
  5. ^ Holmes, Stanley (June 5, 2006). "Soccer's American Idols". BusinessWeek. Retrieved June 26, 2006.
  6. ^ a b O'Conor, Sean (March 7, 2006). "Dempsey feeling continental pull". Yanks Abroad. Retrieved July 14, 2006.
  7. ^ Hush, Andrew (November 30, 2005). "No Toffee for Dempsey". Soccer New England. Retrieved July 14, 2005.
  8. ^ Dure, Beau (May 8, 2005). "Top scorer Dempsey fishes for celebrations, hits homer". USA Today. Retrieved July 14, 2006.
  9. ^ Carlisle, Jeff (February 7, 2006). "Don't Tread on Clint". ESPNSoccernet. Retrieved July 14, 2006.


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