Clint Dempsey was crossing that ball that accidently went in against Juventus.
Yeah right!
We all know he was shooting and it was brilliant. Now, if it was Columbus Crew outside back Frankie Hejduk…then we would all know he was really crossing that ball and simply mishit it and instead of going into the upper deck it went into the upper corner.
But Clint Dempsey is different…he tries things many players won’t. He’s got the swagger, tenacity and drive to play in Europe and STAY THERE…and compete against the best players in the world, week in and week out…season after season.
See where I am going with this yet?
Landon proved that he could hang with the big boys for a couple of months…but until he stays in Europe for years, he can never be talked about in the same breaths as Claudio Reyna, McBride, Keller, Friedel Spector, DeMerit or Bocanegra.
It’s all about staying power in Europe and Clint Dempsey just returned from injury and yesterday proved again why Fulham’s faith in him is so warranted. He scored the deciding goal in Fulham’s 4-1 trouncing (5-4 aggregate) of Juventus at Craven Cottage which propelled them into the quarterfinals of the Europa League.
But more importantly, his goal was a thing of beauty…not just because he pulled it off…but because he even thought about it.
Players like Clint Dempsey are not a dime a dozen in the United States because their skills and creative flair are usually sucked out of them at an early age by a coach who just wants them to fullfill a certain role and not take risks in order to help them win their ever-s0-prestigious State Cup.
Players with abilities like Clint need to shun the system and keep holding the ball and trying magical things in the hopes that somebody with influence will identify them. It will happen…it needs to happen, because we all know that many of the most talented players in the U.S. are not being identified and instead we take work horses like Michael Bradley and put them on a pedastal…for what?
That they run hard? Kick hard and tackle hard? We need magicians and creative geniuses…not more workers. It was great to see Clint score that goal…he is the player U.S. youth players should be aspiring to be…he plays with confidence, has the ability to always back it up and wants to prove himself against the best players in the world season after season.
It’s not always about comfort, it simply comes down to wanting to be the best…and right now…Clint Dempsey is the best American player out there…PERIOD!
–Mark Vincent Lincir
But he floats in and out of games, but as long as he keeps scoring late winners, he can float up the salt river for all I care!