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Dempsey eager to participate in 2016 Copa America with USMNT

Clint Dempsey

Photo by John Todd/ISIphotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

PORTLAND, Ore. — If Clint Dempsey has his way, he has not yet finished suiting up for the U.S. Men’s National Team.

Fresh off a World Cup performance that saw him help lead the Americans to a Round of 16 finish n Brazil, Dempsey said Monday he has no plans on calling it quits on the international stage any time soon. The U.S. captain might be 31 years-old and considered by some as a long shot to make it to a fourth consecutive World Cup in 2018 in Russia, but he is hoping that he still has a future on Jurgen Klinsmann’s side.

At least until the Centennial Copa America being held in the United States in 2016, that is.

“I would like to continue playing for the U.S. team, but that depends on if you’re performing, if you’re getting called in,” said Dempsey during the MLS All-Star’s press conference. “For me, I would like to definitely push for playing in Copa America. It’s a tournament that I always valued and wanted to participate in, but never got the opportunity to.”

Having scored twice in Brazil, Dempsey still looks plenty capable of contributing to the Americans’ cause. Klinsmann, however, said shortly after the World Cup that he plans on using this fall’s friendlies to experiment with younger players who might be able to evolve into regular contributors in this coming World Cup cycle.

Dempsey, who has 109 caps and 39 goals to his name, does not yet know whether he will be brought back into the fray after those matches, but he sure wants to be.

“If I got the opportunity in two years’ time to play in Copa America, that would be awesome. But it’s not my decision whether I get called in or not. You have to be performing, Jurgen has to decided if I’m still part of his plans or not and you just take it from there.”

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What do you think of Dempsey’s desire to continue playing for the USMNT? See him making it to the 2016 Copa America? Expect Klinsmann to rely heavily on Dempsey this cycle?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

    • If we loose both the Gold Cup and then the match for the Confederations cup spot, then probably should be but probably won’t be.

      Reply
    • kevino,

      BB was on shaky ground going into the 2011 Gold Cup because:

      a. BB was wildly unpopular with people like you
      b. The USSF felt the team should have beaten Ghana.
      c. They had JK waiting in the wings, so to speak
      d. The 2010 team needed to be rebuilt

      In comparison :

       Most people seem impressed by the US just getting out of a much tougher group this go around, a group that featured the eventual champions. Plus the US beat Ghana, their bogey team and the only team in the tournament to take a point off of Germany, the champs.
       The talent pool seems to have increased and progressed. Brazil showcased the up and coming talent like Yedlin, Brooks and Green. So rebuilding was in progress before the World Cup.
       There is a perception that this team is likely to improve before Russia 2018, assuming we don’t go to war with them before then.

      You can argue how much of this is directly attributable to JK.

      But it’s clear that JK’s style has raised the public profile of the USMNT dramatically in this country and that there is generally a positive view of JK any place other than SBI.

      No one is immune to being fired, especially if the team has a lousy Gold Cup ( unlikely since they will go all first string, A team with that Cup) or a bad Copa America.

      Nevertheless, JK seems about as secure as any sports team manager in this country.

      Reply
    • If people were to recall, the USA was up 2-0 before Cherundolo was hurt in the Gold Cup that got Bradley fired. Unfortunately for Bradley, there was not a Deandre Yedlin or Timmy Chandler on the bench and Bornstein came on If you watch the game, at least 3 of the goals were his fault. Now imagine against Belgium, that instead of Yedlin coming in, Bornstein came on. Had what happened in the Gold Cup happened in the Round of 16, I think people would have a very different view of Klinsmann. Klinsmann has the benefit of depth that Bradley never had.

      This also applies to the style of soccer Bradley played. Klinsmann knows how to sell a product. The USMNT of 2010 and the USMNT of 2014 have very minor differences in playing style. However, all through out Klinsmann’s campaign he had been promising “attacking soccer”. Bradley on the other hand was willing to stand by what we was doing, counter attack soccer. As I mentioned above, they both played the same style in their respective world cups, Klinsmann just knew how to make people more excited. Lalas, surprisingly, said it best; we are a better version of 2010. So while Bradley and Klinsmann have done the same thing in their perspective cycles (quite literally), Klinsmann has sold his campaign better.

      Klinsmann also has the advantage of politics. Klinsmann is a well established persona in the soccer community while Bradley was a nobody. Klinsmann has the ability to draw attention from a vastly wider population than Bradley ever could.

      So from a non-political stand point, yes if Klinsmann loses he should be fired. However, Klinsmann is probably the best man for the job right now. Not because is a good manager, but because his fame will help bring USA soccer to the next level.

      Reply
      • Mr Guy,

        Best explanation of the Alexi Lalas dogma I’ve read lately.

        The Lalas dogma assumes a couple of things:

        1. That Bradley, Arena or anyone really, in the last three years could have selected a team from the current USMNT player pool, formed them into a team, gotten through qualification, then taken them to Brazil and achieved the results JK did

        2. That the circumstances surrounding the USMNT WC campaign leading up to and in Brazil were equivalent to the circumstances surrounding the WC campaigns in South Africa, Italy and South Korea.

        You and fellow dogmatist, Alexi, make it sound as if anyone could do these things.

        You will have to define what you mean by a “good manager” because a bad one could not have accomplished what JK did.

        JK’s biggest flaw is he talks too much and a lot of people assume he promises things that he never did.

        For example, Alexi makes it sound as if JK swore on a stack of bibles that the USMNT would go to Brazil playing stylish, high tempo, high pressure attacking football.

        What JK actually said was that was a style of football he hoped to achieve with the US one day but he made it very clear, if you were listening, that it would take some time and that in the interim there were games that needed to be won by whatever means necessary. Remember, JK is the guy that early on capped Alan Gordon, who actually played well for him. And he also capped Beckerman and stuck with him when almost certainly, no one else in this time continuum would have.

        By the way, all teams past the group stages the World Cup tighten up defensively. This is not due to a lack of conviction but rather to necessity.

        BB who, by the way, is not a nobody, understood the pitfalls of the media and understood his own limitations in that area. This is why he never said anything.

        Sometimes I think BB’s biggest problem was he was an Arena guy and Bruce fell out pretty badly with the USSF so I always wonder if that didn’t taint him with the powers that be. Arena does not seem to be all warm and fuzzy .

        Regardless, he was never really “their guy” so his firing was inevitable. Just like JK is not really your guy.

        I’m curious, where is it that you think the USMNT would be better off if someone other than JK had been managing it these last three years and how would that person be better than JK going forward into the Russian campaign?

  1. Anybody thinks Copa Centerario 2016 could and should be stretched to 24 teams? add 8 more:

    – Japan
    – South Korea
    – Australia (quality team but has no impact on Copa economic success)
    – 2 African teams (top three based on FIFA, we need African fans on stands)
    – Turkey (up an coming quality EU team)
    – Poland (Chicago venue, Copa economic success)
    – Canada (will help a lot on game attendance)

    As an option, eliminating Canada and having 3 African teams will add quality to the tourney.
    Do this and we would have a mini-World Cup, definitely a much better event.

    Reply
      • well, unlike any other place in the planet… people from other nations around the world have populated the Americas… it is a celebration.

      • Europe has many people that trace lineage back to all parts of Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Middle East, etc., etc. The Euros do not invite nations such as Nigeria or Iran or wherever to participate because they consider it a championship for European nations only. This is what this competition should be; it is a form of the Copa America, not the World Cup.

      • the president of UEFA, Michelle Platini has stated that starting with EURO Championship 2020 the possibility to inviting Brazil, Argentina, Japan, Mexico is a possibility.

        It is a reality… you can google it…

      • I don’t like that idea, either. If you are going to have a continental or hemispheric cup, make it exclusive. We already have the World Cup and the Confederations Cup. That is just my personal preference, though.

      • That is a nice thought but Copa America like all these tournaments is about one thing only:

        Mucho Dinero

        Japan has regularly been invited to Copa America.

        This may be influenced by the large number of Japanese who have emigrated to South American countries like Brazil and Peru.

        China was originally invited to the 2015 Copa in Chile but had to withdraw.

        It may have escaped your notice but China has had a very strong economic presence in South America for many years now since the US has basically withdrawn from South America, so inviting them makes sense..

    • There is the little matter of Euro 2016, which I’m sure Poland and Turkey would at least like to pretend they are gong to qualify for, at a minimum.

      But if you want to see a built out version, it may be that your wait is not so long.

      Reply
      • agree… Copa can always invite middle of the table Euro teams that wont make EURO 2016…. or more African teams.

    • You’re right, he’s too busy carrying all of those US records, MLS Cups, Bronze Boot Medals and leading his team to the quarters of the 2002 WC to be concerned with also chugging along a bunch of nothing from a lesser player!

      Reply
      • Ahem…. Led the 2002 team? Let me know when you get the diapers off, Junior, and I’ll give you a little history lesson.

  2. DEMPSEY will play a part in COPA AMERICA

    hopefully fate shines on us and we can somehow reach the semi’s like in 1995

    hope dempsey comes up big. maybe a brace against Bolivia

    with Jozy being top scorer with 5 goals

    Reply
  3. I really believe that JK will bring all youth moving forward.

    He is going to bloody them in the Gold Cup, since we won 2013 gold cup we qualified for the gold cup playoff, so at worst we would have to play an extra game to determine if we can play in the confed cup.

    Reply
  4. I see him on the bench getting 30 minutes every match as an attacking sub. If JK has plans for him to play 90 minutes every match in 2016, he’s way off.

    Reply
  5. Dempsey made that decision for himself when he came back to MLS. You heard it here first, Bradley will get squeezed out before Copa

    Reply
      • Die Captain of die mannschaft doesn’t play in die vierdivission futball! You need to be poooooshing yourselves in Europe. Julian Green is captain! It is done!

    • @Del Griffin.. Concur @ MB. He is not on the uptick of his career, moving to MLS. I feel that he will stagnate in Toronto over the next couple of years. He is a damned decent defensive option in front of the back line, and he can distribute somewhat decently from the rear, but this guy will never become the distributor moving forward that JK will be demanding, especially going into the Copa America 2016.

      Reply
  6. The following quote exemplifies why Deuce is the captain, and also why LandyCakes is mashing sour grapes:

    “If I got the opportunity in two years’ time to play in Copa America, that would be awesome. But it’s not my decision whether I get called in or not. You have to be performing, Jurgen has to decided if I’m still part of his plans or not and you just take it from there.”

    Even as captain, he understands that his spot is not a given. He acknowledges, unlike Donovan, that he’s not entitled to a spot on the MNT because of what he did in the past.

    Reply
    • Correct me if I’m wrong, and I’m sure I am not, but didn’t Donovan profess that he’d be willing to play any position to help out the team before the WC and that he’d be grateful just to make the roster?? Now, he didn’t make the team for the finals and his absence can/will be debated for years to come but that quote speaks in contrary to your post labeling LD as entitled. If you want entitled and egotistical look no further than the USMNT manager, and we know he got a lot wrong in the finals!!!!

      Reply
      • You are most certainly correct in your memory. It sticks out for me too, because hearing him say that was the moment I realized that the people suggesting that Landon might not make the roster were actually onto something. LD’s demeanor was that of a person who had just realized that the “naughty” list really exists, and he had about a week to find his way off of it. Too little, too late as it turned out….

      • Ronniet,

        Talk is cheap.

        Dempsey had a bad year after moving back to Seattle, so he went on loan to Fulham and then came right back and dominated MLS just before the World Cup.

        DMB came back into the team, got asked to play left back by JK a conversation which DMB said lasted 10r seconds and to which DMB said “okay”. DMB also late said he did not really want to do it but since he wanted to go to Brazil, he shut up put his head down and learned this new position so well that he was one of the US’ standouts in Brazil.

        Tim Howard very recently, was being seriously threatened for his USMNT job by Guzan. How did he respond? He put together maybe his best season ever for Everton and was solid and focused all through qualifying.

        Donovan talks a lot but compare what he did on the field the last two years or so for the US ( scoring 8 goals one less than Wondo, against pretty much the same level of competition) and for LA ( a so- so season) with what Timmy, DMB and Clint did and it makes me think his making a last minute push just prior to the Camp felt a lot like cramming for a test.

        LD doesn’t know as much about winning a job as Timmy, DMB and Clint do. They have all had to do it a number of times and LD never really has. so he blew this audition. because he thought he already had the part.

      • So many problems with your post.

        As to avoid attacking individual players you mentioned because I will only look like I do not like them, I will only approach your last point.

        DMB, Howard, and Dempsey have hardly proved themselves compared to Donovan. Starting at the beginning, Donovan has proven himself. At age 20, Donovan proved himself by receiving the best young player award. He then proved himself countless times over winning a ridiculous amount of awards in the MLS. Yes he had stubling blocks like Bayern Munich, but who hasnt? Certainly Dempsey at MLS and Fulham, Howard at Man U, and DMB at Hannnover. Donovan then again proved himself when on his first loan to Everton, winning player of the month there and becomming an instant fan favorite. So much so that Evertonians were dying to sign him, but Evertons financial struggles and MLS’s ridiculous asking price kept him from going. Then at the World Cup, Donovan was an American hero leading the USA back against Slovenia and then everyone knows what happens next. In 2012, he went back to Everton on loan and again won player of the month. In 2013, he was the Gold Cup MVP, a tournament many claim gave DMB his chance. Then during qualifying, with Klinsmann on him and a lot of Americans on his back because of his sabotical, Donovan sets up and scores the goal against Mexico that give the USA their place in the World Cup.

        Given all that he has accomplished, there are still people like you who question if Donovan knows what its like to “win a job”. The man has won a job at the LA Galaxy, Everton twice, and Bayern Munich. The man has won a job for 3 world cups. The only player who could even relate to Donovan is Dempsey with his struggle with new managers.

        Please, find a man who has ever worn the USMNT crest who has proven himself more than that.

      • T. Guy,

        Forgive me but I should have added “Timmy, DMB, and Clint proved that they were interested in playing for JK’s team.”

        Go back and you will see that Timmy, DMB and Clint clearly wanted to be in Brazil and put their money where they mouth was.

        In comparison, LD did nothing except question his own desire, be average on the field and then tell the media how he could be a useful sub.

        Like Landon, you clearly thought LD deserved a spot in Brazil as a life time achievement award.

        Most everyone, including me, believes Landon could have been very useful.

        However, clearly LD felt his new boss should take his word for it, unlike Timmy, DMB and Clint all of whom made the extra effort to let JK know what they had to offer.

        From the day JK got the job, I saw no such effort from LD.

        Timmy, DMB and Clint, know, like the rest of us know, that every once in a while, especially when there is a new boss, you have to go job hunting and have to put your best foot forward and impress the new guy.

        You have to show him that you want to be part of his project. LD spent most of his time making it clear he was ambivalent about playing and his talk with the media about how he should be used is another way of saying” I’ll play for you but under my terms”. “ I can’t train as hard so I’ll let you know when I’m available.”

        Just try telling your new boss that sometime.

        Which means that LD did not think going to Brazil was worth having to humble himself.

        Clearly he feels that he is in a class different from DMB, Timmy and Clint and deserved special consideration. After all he got it from BB and from Arena.

        No one likes humbling themselves to prove their worth to the new boss but I’m guessing most of us have had to do it once or twice. Unfortunately for LD , proving yourself on the field yet again is even more necessary in athletic endeavors where you can’t take a players word for it that he is the same player he was four years ago.

        The accomplishments you cite for LD are mostly pre-2011 which was, in soccer terms, a million years ago.

        His only contribution to qualifying was the goal in the final game vs. Mexico, a team that, at the time, was clearly already had a fork stuck in them before the kickoff.

        The second Everton loan was in February 2012. It was nine games and proved what exactly? We already knew he could play for Everton and the second time he wasn’t as good.

        There was the 2011 Gold Cup final second goal which made the score line 2-0. Unfortunately Mexico went on to massacre the US that day. That kind of takes the edge off of it.

        The 2013 Gold Cup was another B team effort and LD did well but he was supposed to. He was playing against opposition that was arguably below MLS standard.

        What I remember most about it was that Donovan started out on the wing and proved anonymous until he moved centrally into the Clint Dempsey’s position.

        Again go back and look at what Timmy, DMB and Clint did and you could see that all three were specifically targeting a place in Brazil and did not want to give JK any chance of leaving them out.

        If Landon did anything remotely like that then he didn’t do it very well. JK has often spoken about having “hungry” players.

        Timmy, DMB and Clint showed that hunger and LD did not; it’s almost that simple.

        As Jozy Altidore once said ” It’s up to the player to adjust to the coach not the other way around” when speaking about his early relationship with JK.

        If you are upset about LD not being in Brazil take it out on the person most responsible for that absence and that is Landon Donovan.

  7. If it comes down to the best players, then hopefully Dempsey won’t make the team. Not because I do not like him, but because other players will be better. This tournament is a great oppurtunity to get players to experience a real tournament before a World Cup. New Americans rarely get this kind of experience before their first World Cup. This is a rebuilding cycle for the USA’s attack and this tournament will be perfect for integrating in the new guys.

    But I have a hunch Klisnamnn won’t call in the best players and will instead call in his favorites.

    Reply
    • That_Guy

      “If it comes down to the best players, then hopefully Dempsey won’t make the team. Not because I do not like him, but because other players will be better.”

      Name me the “better player” you would replace Dempsey with.

      “This tournament is a great oppurtunity to get players to experience a real tournament before a World Cup. New Americans rarely get this kind of experience before their first World Cup. This is a rebuilding cycle for the USA’s attack and this tournament will be perfect for integrating in the new guys.
      But I have a hunch Klinsmann won’t call in the best players and will instead call in his favorites.”

      Copa will be very tough so JK will bring in a mix of starters and prospects. Copa will be two years before Russia. Two years ago only Dempsey and Mikey were thought to be sure fire starters for Brazil
      Instead, the dress rehearsal tournament for Russia will be the Confederations Cup, one year before it and played in the some of the same stadiums. Which is why winning the next Gold Cup, which will increase the US’ chances of playing in the Confed Cup, will be a First string, A team tournament for the US.

      JK’s favorites, guys like Jones, Brooks, Yedlin, Green, Beckerman, Gonzo, Besler, Howard, and DMB. Dempsey to name some, also are often the best players and often are not liked or appreciated by the fans. .

      Reply
  8. well i screwed that first paragraph up. Should read:

    I guess it comes down to developing younger players or using available minutes for existing, but aging starters from the last WC.

    Reply
  9. I guess it comes down to developing younger players or using available slots for upcoming players.

    If JK is really serious about developing the US team then I think you have to break from players that will most likely be too old next cycle and use available minutes on people that will be there next time. Dempsey is now in Donovan land and I hope he doesnt try and hold on until JK is forced to cut him. We’ll see where JK is at upon the first callup. Personally I think he’s on the backside of the mountain and it would be a good time to look elsewhere.

    Reply
    • “We’ll see where JK is at upon the first callup. ”

      ??? Just after the World Cup JK said that he does not plan on calling in any veterans for the next few USMNT matches because he wants to see the new guys and he “already knows what the older guys have”.

      Reply
  10. I think if Clint Dempsey is still playing good soccer and he still has the legs then despite his age he should be brought in for the 2016 Copa America. At least bring him in to camp and evaluate him against the other forwards. He has too much experience playing at the highest levels not to bring him in. Even if he doesn’t start he could be a good option off the bench. JK says he wants to go with younger players. That’s fine but if those younger players aren’t better then Clint Dempsey then he deserves to be brought in to camp and given the chance to show he deserves a spot on the team.

    Reply
  11. Nope, not this dude who talk crap to Gonzalez and wondo in MLS games, when he’s the captain of the nats and should be setting the example 🙂
    I want a young, exciting, fast team in copa and Russia. I want kilnsi to show what his team is about and the future.
    For copa 2016, it could be the last tournament for Dempsey, Donovan, Howard, Beasley, beckerman, and that’s if they make it but like I said before, it’s time to make a change and hopefully it starts with gold cup, copa, confederations and Russia.
    For now, MLS keep growing and makes us proud.
    The next ten years will be massive for MLS and American soccer, MLS might have 26 teams by 2022 or even 28 by 2026. USA might even host the World Cup in 2022 or 2026 and by then we might have MLS 2.
    The next 10 years are going to be about soccer taking over NBA, NHL, MLB, and making MLS the real sh!t 🙂

    Reply
    • @NASL to El Paso
      LOL…. Man I salute your passion! I love this f’n beautiful game! It would be a nice dream come true to have soccer overtake some of the American standard professional sports, but the key word here my friend is “dream”! A pipe dream maybe, but wtf.. keep the faith, one never really knows how the popularity will continue to grow.

      I’m pretty pleased by the massive crowds in these exhibition game tours going in in the States. Watching the big boys play here has been exciting and profitable. It’s all positive and gives soccer in America even more hope. I hope that your prognostications come true.. Good luck with that.

      Reply
    • “For copa 2016, it could be the last tournament for Dempsey, Donovan, Howard, Beasley, beckerman, and that’s if they make it but like I said before, it’s time to make a change and hopefully it starts with gold cup, copa, confederations and Russia.”
      Donovan’s comments about the Team & Coaches during the 2014 WC has all but ended his chances of ever putting on the USMNT shirt again while JK is coach.
      Beckerman will likely be done after the 2015 Gold Cup….if not sooner. Will all depend on whichever of the Young CDM’s can displace him (Williams, Stanko, Canouse, Kitchen, etc…). They’ll be given a chance to displace him in short order, but may not succeed until after 2015.
      Dempsey, Jones, Howard, & Beasley will be slowly phased out during the next 2 years. Dempsey & Howard maybe a little longer. There are too many good players coming up to believe that any of these 4 will stay high enough in the pecking order to make the 23 in 2018.

      Reply
      • I agree. I think Dempsey makes next year gold cup and that it. Maybe his a sub for copa of American. He probably will be a sub but we gotta move away from him.

    • He is setting the example… the same one he has always set. The “don’t F with me or my teammates example”… the “I may know you, but we’re not friends between the white lines” example… You may not like it, but that’s what he’s always been about and the example he has set from the beginning. If players are looking to Dempsey for any example beyond that of playing with a chip on your shoulder and never backing down, then they just aren’t looking in the right place to begin with. People know what Dempsey is about.

      Reply
  12. Just throwing something out there but I wonder if American players might generally be able to play for a few more years because they often start later. Dempsey’s really only been a full time professional for 10 years, signing with the Revs in 2004 at 21. He probably hasn’t played nearly the number of matches in is career as one of his European counterparts of the same age. I don’t know at the end of the day every player is different but its just a thought.

    Reply
    • It’s a good thought. In theory U.S. players might have a bit more steam in the tank… That said, guys like Donovan (the few that there are), I think, would have less gas. Those guys have been going hard since their teens, like pros in Europe, and they skipped the light weight passage of college soccer.

      Reply
    • There is a view that the mileage incurred at the tail end of the physical maturation of the developing player’s body (i.e.age 17-21 for a typical player) is among the most “expensive” factors in limiting a player’s career. Players like Michael Owen, who were topflight regulars before the age of 20, appear to be reaching abbreviated “peaks” even further ahead of the already-accelerated schedule, which are then followed by a long term and/or terminal series of bodily failures. The general hypothesis is that for emerging talents in this segment, an add’l 1-2 years prudently limiting reps at “full utlilzation” could add as much as 5 years to the players productive lifespan at the top level. Dempsey, along with a number of our NCAA products and assorted late-bloomers would have experienced this presumed benefit and indeed you could suggest that many of the top late-career performers in USMNT history have enjoyed later, longer-sustained “prime” periods because they avoided heavy abuse during their bodies’ late-stage development.

      But it’s very difficult to say… data around this is hard to strip down to “truth” and recommendations are made on a case-by-case basis a process which often has less to do with historical outcomes than the risk appetites of the player/club in light of their current competitive/financial situations, One could argue that conclusion will only really be possible once a significant dataset emerges of players who were clearly “held back” through a conscious decision, rather than a simple “late bloomer” (such as MLB’s Stephen Strausburg, though he had already been seriously injured). In the meantime, there is only conjecture (read the comments for any Freddy Adu article and you’ll see the full sprectrum of developmental hypotheses).

      It’s a very good question, though. Because if we are overhauling our development system to identify and cultivate USMNT talent earlier, it will in theory leave less room for the familiar group of strays and late bloomers, for whom we have always kept the door open. Early integration is a best practice with most mature European NTs, who move their groups through in de facto “classes”, such that a top prospect hoping to stay on the A-track will want to do the “most possible” in these early years in order to remain part of the core group… How do we evaluate the “odometer” on a player we have tracked since youth… is there a sense in which this tells us anything new?

      Reply
      • You have to factor in how the player plays his position and what position they play.

        Owen initially was mostly about his ability to separate. But he kept blowing up his hamstrings and that eventually shortened his career. Which is a shame because he came back from his initial major injuries as a much smarter striker In the end he never could stay healthy.

        The team to research on this topic is AC Milan. They have had a long tradition of having guys play at a high level into their early and sometimes mid to late 30’s Paolo Maldini played there until he was 41.

  13. I hope Clint Dempsey DOES NOT make this team …

    … Because by that time Terrence Boyd, Jozy Altidore, Kevin Bacon, Bibby Wood and Julian Green are all better options!

    Reply
      • He’s also only 21 years old, and had an assist today. He’s still relatively young, give him a chance and time.

      • Wood is a fantastic player who has successfully come off a knee injury most doctors said would end his career. He has clawed himself back from the amateur leagues back into the spotlight, and so far this preseason/season he has really impressed.

        Defensively, the Bundesliga 2 is a lot tougher than Holland.

      • Josh D.

        “Defensively, the Bundesliga 2 is a lot tougher than Holland”

        Is it? And if that is true does that mean the forwards coming out of B2 are better than the forwards who come out of Holland?

        I can think of a lot of good to great to all world attacking players that have come out of Holland in the last 40+ years.starting with Johann Cruyff .

        Can you name me some great attacking players who have come out of B2?

      • that’s not fair. he had a solid season last year despite some injury issues. had a very nice assist this weekend and looks primed to start for his team each week. he’s young and if he is starting regularly in the 2. Bundesliga, he could absolutely be a depth option. not saying he replaces Dempsey, but i just wouldn’t discount him.

    • Jozy, Boyd, Aron, Green, Gyau, Arriola, Agudelo, Rubin, Wood, and a number of other potential attacking players have an opportunity to knock Dempsey out of the rotation by 2018. Question will be who and when. Most of these guys have a lot to learn yet….so Dempsey isn’t going to be replaced before 2015 Gold Cup unless he’s injured or has a significant drop off in his play.

      Reply
      • Unlikely. If he is replaced it will be because of a fall in his play and not because those guys stepped up to his level. People get mad but face it none of those prospects are special or will be as good in 2 years as he is now. To replace him someone special would have to be in the pipeline NOW. If someone were that’s special we would know about it NOW. Other than Green the offensive pipeline is non existent. There is especially a lack of attacking midfielders. Unless Brek Shea grows a soccer brain overnite

      • Sorry, but over time players (Dempsey included) will regressing while young players will progress. Dempsey himself is an example of a player who wasn’t highly rated and had limited minutes with the National Team until 2006.
        Dempsey wasn’t in the pipeline at a young age…but became a force for the National Team after 06. Started as a winger and over time moved to withdrawn striker/CAM as his experience grew. Any number of the players above can potentially replicate what Clint did.

      • “Any number of the players above can potentially replicate what Clint did”

        You think it is that easy?

        The USMNT has been looking for reliable, consistent, clutch goal scorer/ forward for about 8 years or since McBride went off the boil.

        Over that time Dempsey has been the closest thing to a solution.

        Consistent, reliable goalscorers are never easy to find or to replace. Germany has yet to replace Klose and he is 36.

      • “There is especially a lack of attacking midfielders. Unless Brek Shea grows a soccer brain overnite”

        The amazing self-refuting commenter!

      • Nagbe is going to become a US citizen in 2015 (most likely towards the end of 2015 I believe). He would be eligible to play in CA 2016.

        We’ll know about Zelalem by January of next year when he turns 18. Either he has a US passport by then or it’s not likely.

        Fagundez is something like 5+ years away, so unlikely.

      • “rotation by 2018”

        that would be 4 years, not 2 years. he wasn’t talking about the 2016 Copa America, but the cycle for the next WC. in 4 years i think we’ll see more than a few of them turn into very solid pros. that will put a lot of pressure on Dempsey and each other to continue to perform.

  14. There isn’t anyone in the pool with more heart. No one steps it up in big games like Clint. Scored in 3 world cups and I believe confed cup.

    Reply
      • He will be what 34? No shot. If his starting for us then we’re in trouble with the pool. I rather see Aron or Agudelo. Anybody really that still has any type of speed. No offense to Dempsey but I think Beasley has a better shot at LB then Clint on the team

      • Dempsey’s game has never, ever been based on speed – it’s been based on movement, moves, tricks, and timely finishing, qualities that won’t degrade as he approaches 35.

        I actually think he’s got a chance of being our version of Miroslav Klose…who was still contributing – and sometimes starting – with the German NT at age 36 because he had exactly the same qualities and Germany couldn’t replicate them with a 25-year-old.

        Donovan was a pure speed guy, and those guys peak at 30 or 31 and then drop off a cliff when the legs go. Guys like Dempsey can – and usually do – play a lot longer.

      • He doesn’t need to start. At that age he’d need to be the spark off the bench; the sub our team sees coming in and thinking, “We can do this with Dempsey on the field.” That’s what matters at this age, and Dempsey brings that aurora with him. He’s a no BS guy who’s in it to win.

      • Numerous cases of players in their mid 30’s being big contributors. Especially if they are poachers or good passers, they can be valuable until 35 or 36. A few examples off the top of my head–Giggs and Scholes at Man U, Alan Shearer, Totti, Pirlo.

      • Cylo,

        “Anybody really that still has any type of speed.”

        What type of speed are you talking about? Cylo, have you ever watched Clint play?

        Go on you tube and find some goal compilation and then tell me about the highlight goal where Clint pushed the ball past his marker and then left the entire defense for dead with a blazing turn of Usain Bolt like speed before going in alone on the keeper.and scoring.

        Let me know when you find that highlight.

  15. its going to be as much of a phenomenon as the World cup. ESPN will do an amazing job. I predict conmebol will look to repeat this, and even to combine clubs from the various leagues in the americas

    Reply
    • Unsurprisingly, I’d love to see it continue in 2020 but that might not be realistic. Hopefully in lieu of a 16 team Copa America in 2020 we can at least have the US and Mexico as the regular invitees for the 12 team version.

      Reply
      • the only good that came out of that tournament was my sweet jersey. even if i put Dempsey on the back despite him not being there. i wear that jersey still today and it’s by far my favorite US jersey to date.

      • John

        “Mexico is always an invited guest. US stopped being invited after they took the D squad to Venezuela”

        That is a questionable assumption by you about the US since there has only been one Copa America since 2007.

        In 2011, Mexico was invited , chose to send their Olympic under 23 team and one week before the competition had eight of players suspended for “bad behavior”. Mexico went 0-3 scored one goal and gave up four. Do you think they won’t get invited back?

        Japan was also invited in 2011 but then had a big earthquake, withdrew and then decided to play but couldn’t get their Euro players released so they withdrew again . Cosat Rica stood in and went 1-0-2 and failed to get out of their group.

        Do you think Japan or Cosat Rica won’t get invited back?

        Don’t bet on it.

        The US is far from the only team that ever sent a weakened team to a tournament because of scheduling difficulties, The 2007 Gold Cup had priority because winning it meant the US would play in the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa, the best dress rehearsal possible for the 2010 World Cup.

        The US was invited every time from 1997 to 2007 but frequently turned down the invitation due to scheduling conflicts with MLS and getting their Euro players released. It’s all about scheduling.

        bryan

        “the only good that came out of that tournament was my sweet jersey. “

        The 2007 Copa America was either the first or second international tournament for the following USMNT players:

        Jay Demerit, Benny, Herculez, Brad Guzan and Charlie Davies.

        So your jersey was not the only good thing to come out of that tournament.

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