Clint Dempsey

Clint Dempsey is a former professional soccer player from the United States who now works as a sports analyst for Soccer on CBS Sports. He played as both a forward and a midfielder, spending time in England’s Premier League with Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur, and in Major League Soccer with the New England Revolution and Seattle Sounders FC. He shares the record for the most international goals scored by an American player, 57, with Landon Donovan.

Born in Nacogdoches, Texas, Dempsey grew up in a trailer park and played soccer with the many Hispanic immigrant children in the neighborhood. As a teenager, he played in a local adult league dominated by Mexican players. His older brother Ryan had a tryout with the Dallas Texans, an elite youth club, and brought Clint along; while juggling a ball on the sidelines, Dempsey caught the attention of recruiters. He became a standout for the Texans but had to quit because of money troubles, as his older sister Jennifer was pursuing tennis.

Other parents on the team helped cover his costs, allowing him to return. In 1995, when Dempsey was 12, his 16-year-old sister Jennifer died from a brain aneurysm. He later said this loss drove him to pursue soccer in her honor. He became captain and top scorer for the Texans and was named MVP of the Tampa Bay Sun Bowl tournament.

He admired Argentina’s national team, especially Diego Maradona, and was crushed when Maradona didn’t play in the 1994 World Cup game at the Cotton Bowl. Dempsey attended Furman University, majoring in health and exercise science, and was a key midfielder for the Paladins. He earned second-team NSCAA All-American honors in 2002, first-team All-Southern Conference nods in 2001 and 2002, and was named to the Soccer America and College Soccer News All-Freshman teams in 2001.

The New England Revolution picked Dempsey eighth overall in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft. He made his debut on April 17, 2004, in a 3–1 home loss to the San Jose Earthquakes, which was also the final home game for Revolution striker Joe-Max Moore. The following week, on April 25, he scored his first MLS goal, giving the Revolution a 12th-minute lead against the MetroStars. In his rookie season, he started 23 of 24 matches, playing at least three games with a broken jaw, and scored seven goals, tying Steve Ralston for third on the team. He helped the Revolution reach the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals, was named MLS Rookie of the Year (beating Freddy Adu and Chad Marshall), and was chosen as the Midnight Riders’ Man of the Year and an MLS All-Star. In 2005, he scored ten goals.

In 2007, Dempsey signed with Fulham for £2 million. He was a key part of the team that finished as runners-up to Atlético Madrid in the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League. He was named Fulham’s Player of the Season for 2010–11 and 2011–12, leading the club in scoring both years. In 2012, he became the first American to score a hat-trick in the Premier League. He remains Fulham’s all-time top Premier League scorer with 50 goals.

Tottenham Hotspur signed Dempsey in 2012 for $9.6 million, then a league record for an American. In his single season with the club, he scored 12 goals across all competitions, including 7 in the league. His 57 total goals in top-tier European leagues stand as the all-time American record. He joined the Seattle Sounders in 2013, playing 115 matches and scoring 47 goals, leading the team to the 2014 Supporters’ Shield. In 2016, he was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat and missed the team’s run to the MLS Cup. He returned the next season, winning the 2017 MLS Comeback Player of the Year Award, and retired from professional soccer in 2018.

Dempsey played for the United States at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship and made his senior team debut on November 17, 2004. He earned more than 140 caps, making him the fourth-most capped American player, and scored 57 international goals, tying Landon Donovan for the all-time lead. He is the only American to score in three different World Cups (2006, 2010, and 2014), including the fifth-fastest goal in World Cup history in 2014. He was runner-up in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, where he won the Bronze Ball. He won the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2005, 2007, and 2017, and took the Golden Boot in the 2015 edition. He was named U.S. Soccer Player of the Year three times and Fútbol de Primera Player of the Year three times. In 2022, he was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.