Clint Dempsey
2022 Inductee
Attacker
Home States
Texas
A forward who was one of the greatest goal scorers in U.S. national team history, including scoring for the United States in three World Cups, a Confederations Cup, a Copa America and four CONCACAF Gold Cups, and who also had outstanding club careers in both the United States and Europe. When Dempsey retired, he was tied with Landon Donovan as the all-time leading goal scorer for the U.S. men’s national team, with 57 goals in 141 games between 2004 and 2017. Among the most noteworthy of those 57 were key goals in the 2-1 win over Ghana at the 2014 World Cup, the 2-0 win over Spain in the semifinals of the 2009 Confederations Cup, and the 2-1 win over Ecuador in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Copa America. The goal against Ghana in 2014 made him the first American to score goals in three different World Cups. He was a star of the United States teams at the 2006, 2010 and 2014 World Cups (including captaining the team in 2014); the 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cups, the 2009 Confederations Cup and the 2016 Copa America. During his national-team career, he played 43 World Cup qualifiers and 10 World Cup games. Dempsey was among the leading American players in Europe during the eight seasons that he played in the English Premier League, for Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur, and became the leading American goal scorer in Premier League history. He scored 72 goals in all competitions during those seasons, and became Fulham’s all-time leading scorer in Premier League games. He gained particular fame at Fulham for the goal on the last day of the season in 2007 that saved the London club from relegation. Dempsey played nine seasons in MLS, before and after his seasons in England. He played for the New England Revolution from 2004 to 2006, and was named to the MLS Best XI in 2005 and 2006. He was the MLS Rookie of the Year in 2004. He played for the Seattle Sounders from 2013 to 2018, and was a member of the Seattle team that won the MLS championship in 2016, although medical problems prevented him from playing in the final (he did play in the final three times, with New England in 2005 and 2006, and with Seattle in 2017). He also won a U.S. Open Cup with Seattle, in 2014. During his MLS career he played 186 regular-season games and 23 playoff games, and scored 79 goals. Dempsey was the USSF men’s athlete of the year three times; winner of the Futbol de Primera Award as U.S. national team player of the year three times, and a selection to the U.S. men’s national team all-time Best XI chosen in 2013.