Tag: Clint Dempsey

Clint Dempsey sharply questioned the state of the USMNT after its disappointing Copa América exit

Clint Dempsey said exactly what needed to be said about USMNT.

Former United States men’s national team superstar Clint Dempsey didn’t hold back while discussing USMNT’s unexpected and dispiriting exit from the 2024 Copa América on Monday night.

Speaking about the team’s 1-0 loss to Uruguay and overall tournament performance, Dempsey said he was at a loss for words with where the team has found itself with the 2026 World Cup on the horizon.

“Where have we come since 2022?” Dempsey asked his fellow panelists on the Fox Sports broadcast.

“You qualify for the World Cup, you get out of the group, and then, where have we progressed? And we haven’t… and that’s the most frustrating part. This is our Golden Generation. It looks like we’re wasting it.”

Those are some sharp words from an all-time USMNT players who knows exactly what it takes for the team to qualify and win in the World Cup.

While a controversial no-call certainly angered fans in Monday’s loss, Dempsey’s disbelief with where the program has found itself after its Copa América loss undoubtedly resonates with USMNT supporters.

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Messi, Beckham and the 10 biggest signings in MLS history

Messi is atop a long list of huge names to come to MLS

Lionel Messi is coming to MLS, and is instantly the league’s biggest-ever signing.

MLS history is littered with big global names, icons at the world’s biggest clubs, as well as lower-profile signings that changed the landscape of the league in ways over the years and even decades to follow their arrival.

Still, not even David Beckham — who is part-owner of Inter Miami, the club that Messi will be suiting up for in the near future — can match the global phenomenon that is Messi. The Argentina superstar, fresh off winning the 2022 World Cup, will transform the entire league, with commissioner Don Garber going so far as to say Messi could be the biggest athlete in U.S. sporting history. The stakes are that high.

It’s not like Messi is the first huge signing for MLS, though. Here are the top 10 additions to the league in its 28-year history.

The Soccer Tournament reveals star-studded field of 32 teams

Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Heather O’Reilly and plenty more will play in the 7v7 event

The Soccer Tournament has unveiled its official 32-team field and group pairings, with several big names from the game’s past and present set to take part.

The $1 million winner-take-all event will take place from June 1-4 in Cary, North Carolina, and will feature teams from all over the world competing in 7v7 matches.

TST is based off The Basketball Tournament, a similar event that has featured ex-pros and celebrities.

The field will be split into eight groups of four teams each, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the knockout stage. The groups are as follows:

Group A: Borussia Dortmund, Hoosiers Army (Indiana Alumni), Kingdom FC, Newtown Pride FC

Group B: Wolverhampton, Blade & Grass FC, Villita FC, DMV Diplomats

Group C: Club Necaxa, Hapoel Tel Aviv, SLC FC, Virginia Dream

Group D: West Ham, Dallas United, Culture by Mo Ali FC, Far East United

Group E: Wrexham Red Dragons, Como 1907, US Women, Say Word FC

Group F: Hashtag United, Conrad & Beasley United, Nati SC, Gracie FC

Group G: Team Dempsey, Sneaky Fox FC, Zala FFF, Jackson TN Boom

Group H: Charlotte FC, Duke Sevens (Duke Alumni), NCFC, Raleigh Rebels

Here are some of the notable participants:

Borussia Dortmund

The German giants are in Group A and will feature club legends like goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller as well as social media influencer Noah Beck.

Blade & Grass FC

The Group B side will include the ex-USMNT duo of Geoff Cameron and Brek Shea, as well as other players with Premier League experience yet to be announced.

West Ham

The Hammers are placed in Group D and will bring a roster with some of the club’s past greats, including Carlton Cole, Marlon Harewood and Matt Jarvis.

Wrexham Red Dragons

The newly minted League Two side owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney will field a team full of names that viewers of “Welcome to Wrexham” will recognize.

Como 1907

Joining Wrexham in Group E will be the Serie B side whose ownership group includes Cesc Fabregas and Thierry Henry. Fabregas will participate in TST as a player-coach.

US Women

One of the most prominent teams in the tournament will be US Women, which will be led by ex-USWNT stars Heather O’Reilly, Lori Lindsey, Kristine Lilly, and Cat Whitehill. The team’s coaching staff will include Mia Hamm, Michelle Akers, and Heather Mitts.

Conrad & Beasley United

Conrad & Beasley United will be led by, you guessed it, Jimmy Conrad and DaMarcus Beasley. The former will participate in a player-assistant coach role while the latter will be general manager. Their roster also features MLS legend Dwayne De Rosario.

Team Dempsey

Clint Dempsey will serve as coach of Team Dempsey, which will feature two of his former USMNT teammates in Eddie Johnson and Jermaine Jones.

Sneaky Fox FC

With a roster including former USMNT players Landon Donovan, Alan Gordon, Nick Rimando, and Jay DeMerit, Sneaky Fox FC will be a formidable rival for Team Dempsey in Group G.

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2022 FIFA World Cup: When did Clint Dempsey retire?

The former USMNT star will be a part of Fox’s TV coverage.

It has been eight years since the U.S. men’s national team last appeared in the World Cup, and chances are that there will be plenty of people tuning in for the USMNT’s Nov. 21 opener against Wales who have not watched a U.S. soccer game in those eight years.

In that case, those fans are going to notice a lot of new faces and the absence of a few familiar ones: Notably, Clint Dempsey.

The longtime U.S. star will be a part of this World Cup in Qatar — but in a TV role with Fox. Dempsey, who is tied with Landon Donovan for the most USMNT goals all-time with 57, retired from professional soccer back in 2018 and last appeared for the USMNT in the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

He ended his career with the Seattle Sounders and announced his retirement on Aug. 29, 2018.

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Clint Dempsey, Chris Paul back new winner-take-all soccer tournament with $1 million prize

The Soccer Tournament hopes to mimic the success of its basketball counterpart

North Carolina will play host to a new, winner-take-all soccer tournament featuring a $1 million prize and some big-name backers.

U.S. men’s national team legend Clint Dempsey and NBA star Chris Paul are among the group behind what will be called The Soccer Tournament. The event — set to take place in June 2023 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, NC — will be run by TBT Enterprises, the founders of a very similar concept called The Basketball Tournament.

“TST is an opportunity for players to show what they’ve got,” said Dempsey, who will coach a team, in a press release. “I came from the pickup culture, and we’ll be on the search for unproven talent that may have been overlooked by the American soccer system. Don’t sleep on Team Dempsey, we’re coming to win.”

Don’t expect a traditional game

Dempsey’s team will be one of 32 entrants, with a familiar group-stage format coming first. 16 teams will advance to a knockout round. Games will be played on a seven-on-seven format with field dimensions no larger than 65 yards by 45 yards, and with slightly smaller (18.5′ x 6.5′) goals.

“They wanted something that was going to be exciting, something that was going to be a lot of action that was going to be a lot of goals, exciting for people to watch,” said Dempsey on the tight confines. “By being closer to goal, it allows for more opportunities to get a shot. I like that aspect of it. You still have to defend, and you’ve still got to work on being tight with your touches.”

One innovation from The Basketball Tournament that will be ported over for soccer is what on the hoops side is called the Elam Ending. In that format, the traditional fourth quarter is played without a clock, and seven points are added to the leading team’s score. Whichever side gets to that point total wins the game, with no possibility of overtime.

In The Soccer Tournament, games will be played in two 20-minute halves, and at the end of regulation the clock will turn off, and what is being called “Target Score Time” will begin.

For the team in the lead, it’s effectively a next goal wins scenario, while the trailing team has a chance to mount a comeback by scoring enough goals to make up their deficit, plus one more to get to the target score. If no one scores in the first five minutes of “Target Score Time,” the game will become six-on-six, and so on until someone bags the goal that gets their team to the, you guessed it, target score.

Dempsey’s team — which will hold tryouts in multiple states, and could even include Dempsey as a player-coach — will be joined by Hashtag United, a semi-professional club that plays traditional soccer in the eighth tier of the English pyramid. Entry fees will range from $10,000 to $20,000, depending on when a team applies, and will also be subject to a tournament selection committee process.

“Ultimately, we want to pick the field that people most want to see,” TBT founder Jon Mugar said. “As we look at all the teams that will apply for a 32-team, million-dollar tournament, we’re definitely going to prioritize those that represent a wide cross-section of the soccer world. And I think that with basketball, we’ve seen that it’s mainly a product for USA players, but with soccer we anticipate a worldwide player pool.”

The Basketball Tournament eventually worked its way to ESPN broadcasts, and included a range of teams including NCAA alumni teams from top programs, groups coached by Paul and fellow NBA star DeMarcus Cousins, as well as an appearance from the Pistol Shrimps, a women’s rec league team made up of actresses (including Aubrey Plaza for a spell), models, and other Hollywood-oriented professions. What began as a 32-team competition for a $500,000 prize has become an annual 64-team tournament with, like the soccer version, a $1 million award for the champions.

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What United States national team superstar of the past could most help the 2022 roster?

Seven United States national team veterans were asked by Pro Soccer Wire what player most help the American squad today.

This is arguably the most talented United States national roster in program history, with more players getting significant minutes and starting for top Champions League clubs. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t roster holes and weaknesses within Gregg Berhalter’s set-up.

Invariably, every national team pool, perhaps with the exception of one or two nations, is going to have certain weaknesses. The United States need for a striker, for instance, is well-documented.

But where could the United States most need one player, one talent, to transform the roster?

Pro Soccer Wire asked seven former United States national team players a very simple question: what one player from your time with the national team would you take in his prime and put with this current group?

All the players asked had multiple appearances with the United States, giving them access to a rather wide playing pool for this answer. In addition, the group of national team veterans also span over 30 years of playing at the international level, eliminating recency bias.

Check out what player these seven United States national team veterans would infuse onto this current roster. One or two…or three of the answers might surprise you!