Clint Dempsey\u2019s relentless climb up soccer\u2019s ladder has been as tenacious as it has been unlikely. His days of topping himself appear to be nearing an end, however\u2014but don\u2019t worry. This isn\u2019t the story of a fading star realizing his declining skills have carried him as far as he can go.<\/p>\n
In this story the star has reached the end of his quest simply because there\u2019s nowhere higher to go. When the United States resumes World Cup play today against Belgium, Clint Dempsey \u201905, once an unheralded recruit plucked out of the remote east Texas flatlands by Furman men\u2019s soccer coach Doug Allison, will lead the way as our country\u2019s best player, the equivalent of LeBron James or Mike Trout once wearing Paladin purple.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s difficult to overstate the significance of Dempsey\u2019s athletic accomplishment, just as it\u2019s difficult to argue that any Furman athlete in any sport has matched his level of achievement. About the only thing left for the 31-year-old forward is to become the United States\u2019 greatest ever, which of course is crazy talk.<\/p>\n
Or is it? Some think he\u2019s already there.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s the best player they\u2019ve ever had,\u201d Allison, an Englishman who knows a thing or two about the game, says when asked where Dempsey ranks on America\u2019s all-time list. \u201c(Brian) McBride was a good player, and Landon Donovan obviously . . . But Clint\u2019s done it at the top level for a number of years now.\u201d<\/p>\n
It might be tempting at first blush to classify such a statement from Dempsey\u2019s former coach and longtime friend under \u201chyperbole,\u201d but Allison isn\u2019t alone<\/a>. Dempsey\u2019s 37 national-team goals are second only to Donovan\u2019s 57 in U.S. history, and, more significantly in soccer circles, Donovan never achieved Dempsey\u2019s level of respect or success internationally. In fact, no U.S. player has<\/a>.<\/p>\n Two seasons ago, Dempsey surpassed McBride as the highest-scoring American in the English Premier League, and few would argue that at the very least Dempsey is the most gifted and creative scorer this country has ever produced<\/a>. Still, despite becoming MLS\u2019s highest-paid player<\/a> when he signed a $33 million contract with the Seattle Sounders (compared to the $40,625 he made as a rookie with the New England Revolution 10 years ago), Dempsey\u2019s name is not known to casual fans like Donovan\u2019s is. That probably won\u2019t be the case for long.<\/p>\n It was big news when U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann left Donovan off the World Cup roster, and when he named Dempsey captain it was clear the mantle had been passed. Sports Illustrated<\/i> wrapped Dempsey in a U.S. flag and dubbed him \u201cCaptain America\u201d on the cover of its World Cup preview issue<\/a>, instantly making him the new face of American soccer.<\/p>\n The face of American soccer is supposed to do more than score goals, though, as if that\u2019s not difficult enough. His interview is also the most sought-after; his autograph the most coveted; his jersey the most popular (Dempsey\u2019s is the team\u2019s best-selling<\/a>). Weight comes with those expectations, but Allison scoffed at the idea of Dempsey buckling.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think Clint has ever felt pressure, and if he has he always seems to rise to those occasions,\u201d Allison says. \u201cHe\u2019s always challenged himself to the highest level he can, and that\u2019s why he is so good.\u201d<\/p>\n Dempsey arrived at Furman in 2001 as a little-known name in a recruiting class headlined by Ricardo Clark \u201905, one of the top junior players in the nation. Allison had seen Dempsey, a native of Nacogdoches, Texas, at an Alabama tournament and was intrigued. \u201cHe was always in the middle so there was always a lot of traffic around, but he always seemed to take the ball away from pressure,\u201d Allison remembers. \u201cHe had so much time on the ball and I was like, how is he doing this?\u201d \u201cWe were all trying to feel each other out,\u201d Hill, a junior at the time, said. \u201cHe had the ball, and I literally couldn\u2019t get it from him. He\u2019s lanky and he\u2019s heavier than he looks too. When you went in on a tackle, you felt it. He was a strong kid.\u201d<\/p>\n Dempsey quickly forced his way into the rotation of one of the most talented Paladin teams ever, and once he was drafted by the Revolution after his junior year he had scored 17 goals and notched 19 assists in leading Furman to two Southern Conference championships and two NCAA tournament appearances. A promising pro career seemed possible, but nobody was prepared for Dempsey\u2019s meteoric rise highlighted by a brief but memorable stint in the 2006 World Cup.<\/p>\n \u201cClint never really got to play a lot, but when he came on against Italy he was the only guy taking them on,\u201d Allison said. \u201cAnd it changed the game a little. He was taking on some really, really good, world-class players . . . and he wasn\u2019t afraid of them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what raised everybody\u2019s eyebrows,\u201d Hill adds. \u201cWho is this young American going right at these world-class defenders? He was still in the MLS at that point.\u201d<\/p>\n Not that his coaches and teammates from Furman were surprised. If there\u2019s one thing Dempsey has carried with him on every field, it\u2019s a refusal to back down from anyone and an unwavering belief in himself.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s never been the fastest player, he\u2019s never been the quickest player, he\u2019s never been the strongest player. But when people talk about Clint the one thing it always comes back to is his heart and his determination,\u201d Anthony Esquivel \u201903, Dempsey\u2019s former teammate and now Allison\u2019s recruiting coordinator, said. \u201cThat really does show on the field because he\u2019s the player making the runs in the box when nobody else is, the one who doesn\u2019t stop moving, the one who tries things nobody else is willing to try. . . We saw that in practice when he was doing things with the ball that we\u2019d never seen before, and he would try them in games.\u201d<\/p>\n Dempsey also established at an early age he and he alone would be the one to decide how good he was. His toughness has become the stuff of legend<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cHis sophomore year he was first-team All-American, and that was really his first year getting called into a national team. And I remember he went into that U-20 camp and he didn\u2019t play at all,\u201d Esquivel said. \u201cAnd we were so happy for him because anybody who gets called into a national team, it\u2019s such a huge honor. But he came back and he was upset, he was pissed about it, because he didn\u2019t play. He said it was a waste of time. So he has always found a reason to play with a chip on his shoulder.\u201d<\/p>\n Off the pitch it\u2019s another story, however. Dempsey has three children with Beth Keegan Dempsey \u201905 and has kept strong ties to Furman. He jumped at Hill\u2019s request to shoot a video to help raise money for a new field house at Stone Soccer Stadium, which was recently fully funded to the tune of $1.6 million<\/a>, and his fame provides an immeasurable benefit for the school.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just amazing to see how much he has grown as a person, as a player, as a father,\u201d Esquivel , who was among several Furman alumni who made the trip to Jacksonville, Florida, to visit with the Dempseys while they were in town playing a friendly against Nigeria just before the World Cup, said. \u201cIt was pretty neat to spend some time with him, particularly with everybody tugging on him. Every player looking to play college soccer at a high level knows about Furman, and they know about Furman because of those years with Clint and Ricardo. It\u2019s a huge, huge help for us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very nice as we try to grow Furman as a brand and as a university to have Captain America on our side,\u201d Hill said with a smile. \u201cHe\u2019s going to go toe-to-toe with whomever, from whatever country we\u2019re playing, and say hey, look, we\u2019re here to take you down. And that\u2019s the kind of spirit and enthusiasm we as a country respond to.\u201d<\/p>\n Dempsey captained a 2-1 U.S. victory against Ghana with a goal in the game\u2019s first 32 seconds, making him the first American to score in three consecutive World Cups.<\/p>\n \u201c(Esquivel said) \u2018it seems like he\u2019s gotten bigger.\u2019 He\u2019s grown up. He\u2019s a man now\u2014he\u2019s tough and he\u2019s hardened,\u201d Allison said. \u201cOne day he\u2019ll wake up and realize what he\u2019s done. It\u2019s pretty incredible, and we are extremely proud that he\u2019s worn our shirt.\u201d<\/p>\n For more detail on Dempsey\u2019s career, click here<\/a>. Matches are televised on ESPN and can also be followed at USSoccer.com<\/a> or on Twitter @USSoccer. Follow @FurmanPaladins, @ FurmanSoccer and @clint_dempsey to keep up with Dempsey at the World Cup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Clint Dempsey\u2019s relentless climb up soccer\u2019s ladder has been as tenacious as it has been unlikely. His days of topping himself appear to be nearing an end, however\u2014but don\u2019t worry. 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\nClint Hill \u201903, Furman\u2019s director of athletics development, wondered the same thing after his first encounter with Dempsey on the pitch.<\/p>\n