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Gotta love the deuce!
Crazy game… Fulham were worthless in the first half, they should’v been down 2 or 3 nil at half time. Then they take Bryan Ruiz off ( he was useless in CM) and they completely turn it around, Newcastle take their foot off the gas a tiny bit, and Dempsey and co. just run them over. NUFC really missed Tiote. Santon was terrible… now I see why Inter got rid of him.
Big congrats to Deuce, he has got to be playing champions league soccer next year.
Deuce is the F*CKIN MAN!
Damn, just starting my day here on the West Coast, open SBI, and Dempsey’s got another hat trick? Amazing.
he’s not the most technically gifted american player but he plays with the most heart. he’s a real leader. that’s why he’s America’s best player.
Dempsey Hatrick = :-O (awesome face)
he is GOD. Please tell me his hat-trick is TRENDING now
If Deuce takes PKs he gets a Ronaldo 5 spot.
Mark my words, 1 of 2 things will happen come July
Fulham offer him a 5 year long contract and make him their highest paid player and build the team around him
or
Arsenal or Napoli or PSG or Sevilla buy him for like $10-12 million dollars.
Or Liverpool, but I’d rather him not go there.
9th league goal in 22 league matches.
15th goal of the season in 30 matches.
With this form, Dempsey could score 20-25 goals this season. In all competitions.
42 league goals in 169 league matches for Fulham. That’s like a goal every 4 matches. Not bad for a club like Fulham.
Am I dreaming? is this his second hat trick in less than a month? Dempsey is on fire!
deuce is da man
Dey call him da New Era aka da 59/50.
seriously, why can’t FSC, or even better ESPN, show Fulham every once and a while?
He’s worth way more than $10-12 million. I’m thinking somewhere in the $15-20 million range. but i agree thats probably what will happen
Have you ever seen him take a pk? Disaster lol
1 would imagine that they should. especially ever since 2010 when Dempsey was in HOT form for them. it would be good and they should know US fans love to see him play
mark my words….oooooh..the prophet has spoken…you are a tool
I believe he scored 3 out of 5 PK’s. Not too bad but you’re right. He’s not the best taker
Donovan is that you? Don’t be jealous bro. Everyone loses their hair.
b…b…but Donovan is the best player evar!!!!
he is the very best we have ever had in Europe.
His stats prove it.
I mean if he had a league title or a domestic trophy it would cinch the deal.
Actually he has some good technical skill. And he knows how to move off of the ball. His movement is top class, and he has deceiving speed.
there should be like a cardgame called
Dempsey vs Donovan. U guys make up the rules.
There should be a film on Clint.
who would u guys pick to portray him? Bob Bradley? Donovan? EJ?
I myself would pick Jake Gyllenhaal
Well said. He and mcBride have been the best American players abroad because they are warriors and winners. And Dempsey is the best American.
He definitely is worth 20million but his contract runs out summer 2013, so I’d imagine unless Fulham extend his contract this summer, his value for transfer will be dropped.
Its Dempsey’s time to shine. He stands alone as the best American player now… not Donovan
in a word… NO
Bravo Deuce! Two hat-tricks in a week!
So awesome to see Clint get this hat trick, but why oh why did it have to be against my Newcastle? I’M SO TORN!
I literally got chills watching that. Well done, Clint!
Dempsey’s 2011-12 form > Chicharito’s 2010-11 form
why don’t USSF try to market Dempsey? Why don’t Wheaties put him on the cover of their cereal? Does Dempsey have any sponsors or anything? I imagine NIKE could make some dough with him as their spokesmen in the UK or so.
BTW is Dempsey being touted to be 1 of the over-23 on the Olympic team?
As someone who has seen many of Dempsey’s club games, he is technically gifted. Look at his fouled to foul ratio, one of the best in the league. Only loses ball when triple teamed. Quick one touch passing. Dribbling and hold up skills excellent. Those who diagree have been listening to Donovan-loving ESPN.
disagree
I expect him to hit twenty, but twenty-five might be a stretch. Fulham are out of Europe and the Carling Cup, so all he has are league games and the FA Cup, which obviously could just be one more game if they don’t beat Everton.
What is it you’re guaranteeing? That Fulham will want to keep their best player or that another club will buy him? You’re not exactly going out on a limb with a prediction like that!
I’m sorry, but that’s absurd. What does team success have to do with whether he’s our best player? If Fulham win the FA Cup this year (the only trophy they’re still in the running for), would that make Dempsey a better player? Of course not! He will be the same player with the same skill and the same ability whether they win it or they get knocked out by Everton in the next round. It would look nice on the resume, but it’s not relevant to whether or not he is the best American player.
I didn’t see the game. Can someone tell me – what position was he playing?
nice work by Bobby Zamora as well, assisting all 3 of Clint’s goals and scoring from the spot. Capello was watching too..
Why are some of you knocking Donovan? What does he have to do with anything? Can’t we just celebrate a career milestone for a great player?
If he continues on this pace he will score 20+ goals, but in reality 15-17 is more likely. This would easily put him in the top 10 goalscorers and probably in the top 3 scoring midfielders. Which would make his worth at least 10mil, maybe as much as 15M US!! If he was younger or an Englishman you could double that. That’s a lot of money and you figure that Fulham would need to sell him fast or lose him for nothing. Given his expressed desire to continue playing in the Premier League and the Champions League that narrows the list of candidates.
seriously opinionated post… deuce is probable the most technically gifted.
he was playing Keeper… which makes it all that more amazing.
LOL. Timmy Howard FTW
I believe Dempsey was up top with Zamora but when AJ came on, he dropped back
because we live in the times of “vs”
Edward vs Jacob
Swedish girls vs Norwegian girls
Real vs Silicone
Messi vs Ronaldo
Dempsey vs Donovan
it’s all in good FUN
He’s red hot at the moment and he was a goal from a hat trick, why not allow him to get it? Luckily he scored at the end to get it.
Weird mentality where you can’t commend someone without disparaging another. People need to grow up.
There is an ongoing, lingering resentment of Donovan for not going to Europe and giving US fans the superstar they believe they are entitled to.
Every time a US player does well in Europe it reminds them thay maybe LD could have been doing his years ago and they hate him for it. It doesn’t help that he seems to be
thriving in spite of all the resentment and envy. USMNT fans like to eat their young.
Dempsey and Donovan are different players and are about equal in terms of skill and talent. Clint is having a better year but that does not mean he is a better player. They should not be compared to each other
rather they should be compared to players from other countries and in that regard both are a bit above average.
Jacob?
Swedish (but man that’s a tough one)
Real (no question)
Messi (no question)
Dempsey
So you’re predicting that Fulham will either keep him or sell him? Don’t go too crazy with your predictions.
not saying he’s not gifted and talented but I think donovan has more technical skill than he does but lacks the pugnacious attitude that we love about dempsey.
He IS the most technically gifted player we have in Europe right now. His biggest downside is lack of speed (though his third goal today should some pace with quite a bit of skill to maintain control of the ball while running full speed).
If he had Donovan’s pace he would be a World class player and already playing for one of the elite Champions league clubs.
Donovan tried to do this in Germany. It didn’t work out. He decided to promote his home league. Not a bad decision if you ask me…
I love Dempsey, but it’s always so much fun to watch fans overreact when something like this happens.
He was the CAM in a 4-5-1, just behind Zamora. He was totally out of the game for the first half hour. Johnson came on for Sidwell and moved up from with Zamora and Dempsey shifted back to left midfield in a 4-4-2. In attack, though, he was more advanced than the right midfield, almost a 4-3-3. I don’t know if that was designed by Jol or just how he plays.
Most of the comments here remind me of the ESPN mentality. As soon as a player achieves something, it must be quantified and packaged in terms of what it means “historically.” Comments go on to define the player and his immediate (and sometimes far-off) future by what he just achieved. Nothing can be enjoyed for what it is, everything that happens must be defined six ways from Sunday. Immediate arguments start about the player’s rank historically and among his current peers.
Please, just stop.
“Fulham offer him a 5 year long contract and make him their highest paid player and build the team around him”
Not likely. The present team is already built around a core of Dempsey,Zamora, Murphy, Hangeland, etc.,etc. Do you really think they will offer him big money now when at 28 or so he is likely to start to go downhill after this year?
I happen to think he can be this good until the World Cup and beyond (assuming the core of the team sticks around and is as good, it’s a team game you know)but somehow I think Fulham’s management is a lot more cynical than me.
“Arsenal or Napoli or PSG or Sevilla buy him for like $10-12 million dollars.”
He is a great player by American standards and if he were 24, or if Fulham were willing to let him go for a lot less then okay. But at 28 he will be expected to move to a new environment and immediately start producing at this year’s Fulham pace, which is a lot to ask.
I might take the risk but the management at the clubs you cited will be expecting a lot for that money and odds are they can find someone similar who they feel is as good and either cheaper or younger or both.
Overall it would have been better if he could have moved one or even two years ago.
he would have the trophies to prove it.
To determine a player’s success, it’s either stats or trophies and the best players have both
True. Donovan should be given MAJOR credit for his contribution to MLS but what if he stayed in Europe. Maybe he would have become a starter for a smaller team in Bundesliga or La Liga or the PL. Maybe he would be a decent player on a decent team or maybe he would be a top player on a decent team or maybe he would have been bought by a CL team. We never know. But we do know that Donovan flopped 3 times in Europe before a loan success in England in between success in MLS.
True but that’s LIFE.
i find it weird we don’t have universal healthcare in this country and yet Jersey Shore is way popular.
This is the US FANS only chance. You guys. We have had quality GK’s for the past 20years. Nations around the world respect that. Our field players gets no LOVE. Sure O’Brien, Reyna, McBride and a few like Gooch, Bradley, Dempsey and Donovan. We’re quick to analyze and perhaps overestimate them but all fans do. Dempsey is the highest scoring American ever in England and sooner or later maybe in all of Europe, so we show him RESPECT.
+1000
Fulham would have to be safe from relegation to let him go and even then I doubt they would.
Anyone who says Dempsey is the best US player is an absolute joke and hasnt been watching the team of his play for the past several years. There was a spell of time where he was absolutely worthless to the US team, in fact probably one of the worst players on the field and should have been benched for a significant amount of time.
People criticize Messi all the time for his performance of Barcelona vs Argentina, and that was again people who didnt even watch the games. Messi was Instrumental in EVERY SINGLE one of Argentinas goals in the WC who were the top scoring team in the tournament until they were eliminated
If anyone deserves criticism for club vs country performance, its Dempsey
P.S First goal, luck no skill involved whatsoever, next 2, decent runs against extremely slow looking defenders, horrible positioning defenders, and great passes, with simple finishes. Unimpressed
That is a lot of maybes.
Donovan signed for Leverkusen at the age of 18 straight out of the IMG academy. He signed a 6 year deal for what I assume was very good money. He did went back and forth between the reserves and the senior team. ln 2001 he was loaned to the Quakes where he did very well and in 2002 he was named best young player of the 2002 World Cup.
I mention all this because it is very similar to Adu’s situation where Freddy signed a 5 year deal with Benfica for very good money.
The difference is Freddy stayed in Europe, bounced around everywhere on loan and wound up playing about one season’s (or less) worth of games in 5 years. And most of you ripped him to shreds for staying in Europe.
LD did the exact opposite, came back to play and focused on MLS and the USMNT and most of you ripped him to shreds for it.
Got to love US fans.
Okay, you’re taking it too far to the other extreme.
People realize both Donovan and Dempsey can be really good, right?
That first goal was a junk goal …
Meaning he scored with his junk!
Well said.
Donovan will easily reach 50 goals 50 assists for the US national team. Donovan haters please list ALL players who have EVER reached that milestone for ANY country….
And I’ll bet you think Tom Brady is a pansy.
If you hae been reading these posts you’ll see they don’t.
They mostly subscribe to the Highlander code i.e “There can be only one”.
This means one of them has to have his head cut off.
well played sir
actually no id say if anyone was overrated as a QB it was Manning, Brady is the best quarterback of the decade
I am just really happy to not see just one or two US guys doing the business at the highest level, but a whole slew of our guys when you look across Europe. This bodes well for immediate gains to the National program and opens more doors to US players being looked upon more favorably around the globe. This is a very, very good thing.
Heck, even when we look back at home – MLS is also picking up steam by becoming the first choice for lots of up and coming players who have European aspirations. Also opening the door to Europe for many young Americans (Ream, here;s hoping all the best for you). This is also a very, very good thing.
I’ll leave the “this guy vs. that guy is the best American” chatter to the…uh…experts. One or two guys a team does not make. The more guys we have doing the business the better for our Nat program. But then again how does thinking like that make for blog hit love?
Who gives a rat’s a** how he scored the first one, they all count. As for history , he made it: First American to score a hat-trick in the EPL
Junk goal… lucky goal… an easy one… yeah fine. But how many could have, should have scored’s do we see? A few in most every game… far more if you are a USMNT follower! Call it what you wish, some say putting the ball in the net is a “knack”, I think its better said, a talent. Why is it the same guys seem to consistently “get lucky”? It probably has everything to do with vision, timing, spacing, knowing your team mates tendencies and cooly executing when opportunity presents itself…. which in the end has a lot to do with what the game is all about and in fact…. is not luck at all. Regardless… I’d rather have a mediocre super lucky guy on my team than someone that is supremely unlucky… but talented. Cheers.
To quote Cobi Jones “they don’t ask how, they ask how many.’
If any pundit thinks Americans can’t play, let them weep. If any struggling club with a heritage thinks Dempsey wouldn’t help, then they deserve what they get.
Today, we got what we’ve been waiting for.
ps. Luck? Does it occur to anyone that the only way to get it in was with his torso? Luck? Go #$%^ yourselves.
And you would be incorrect.
2008: Reigning MVP Tom Brady is injured during the preseason and misses the entire regular season. Patriots install a quarterback who has not started a game since high school. Patriots go on to an 11-5 record and narrowly miss the playoffs.
2011: Peyton Manning is injured in the off-season and misses the entire regular season. Over the course of the season, Colts start three different quarterbacks of varying experience. Colts go on to a 2-14 record and the first pick in the NFL Draft.
Tom Brady is not the best quarterback of the decade. He’s just the quarterback for the best team of the decade.
Hey matt, you know when people were demanding deuce be benched? Right up until the 2009 egypt game. Someone remind me how he did after that.
Yall are a fickle lot.
Luck helps but intelligent hard work does too. Iverson notwithstanding, practice does matter.
Gerd Mueller, probably the greatest goalscorer of all time, said that the majority of goal scoring chances came to you withthe ball in the box,somewhere between your shoulder and your knee, usually from an awkward angle and at an awkward height.
I once saw a video where he had guys serving him all kinds of awkward balls from allover the box and practiced getting any part of his body onto the ball and directing it goalward with something on it. That meant,either foot, head, chest, thigh,whatever.
He would have been proud of Duece’s “junk” goal.
I’m willing to bet Duece practiced just as hard all his life. For these guys it’s about training so hard that scoring becomes a muscle memory, a reflex not a thinking response.
The 2008 Pats had a defense and a solid offense.
If Brady had gone down this year in the first game or before, they would have been neck and neck with the Colts in the race for Oliver Luck.
Dempsey IS the most technical player we have, hands down. He lacks speed. IMO that is what keeps him from being truly great.
You’ve all forgotten about Stuart holden. But don’t worry. He shall return.
20 million for Dempsey? LAWLZ you so crazy.
It used to be the case, but at this point in their careers Dempsey’s technical skills are on par with Donovan, if not better. The only area of the game where Donovan has clear advantage is penalty kicks.
Yeah… I agree. There is a saying that I think holds lots of truth that speaks to what you are saying: Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.
This speaks to practice, repetition, and in games knowing where to be, and hustling time after time- every time… finishing off runs even when the previous 5 times it didn’t materialize into anything. Doing so, you put yourself in a position to “be lucky” and end up cashing in much more often.
If you watch Dempsey’s first goal he runs full out to get in position. His second goal he placed it well. His third goal he controlled it well and timed his shot well. I spent the whole Chelsea-Norwich game watching other players in the same situations with the same opportunties come up with zilch. 42 goals over 5+ seasons does not happen for average players, especially attacking midfielders.
Messi could hit 100 goals and 100 assists if he played in CONCACAF.
surely some Australian player hit 50 goals and 50 assists when they were in OCEANIA
Dempsey is an amazing player. He could become WORLD-CLASS. Maybe if he moved to say a Arsenal or Sevilla or Napoli, his form improves even more
No one has 30 goals for Australia.
Only 35 players worldwide have 50 or more international goals. There’s a handful including Donovan who are close to that mark.
And then there’s the small matter of AIN’T NONE THESE FOLK KNOWS FOR SURE WHAT THEY TALKING ABOUT
Mind if they squeeze in a few soccer games between all those stats and trophies?
Oh you poor thing… I couldn’t bear to see you stand alone here with your provocative comment. So let’s have cuddle. Wooja wooja wooja
COLD BLOODED!
Oh please…all of this Messi is God crap is enough to make one wretch. Messi in qualifying faces weak sides, too—not all of South America is on the level of Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina.
I feel like they were on almost every weekend in 2007-2008…and now it seems like i haven’t seen ‘em since.
+1000
As an englishman, I love the fact that Clint Dempsey is gracing these shores with his brilliance. His hard working vigor and creativity at a club like Fulham, big up to Zamora and Murphy as well, but they’re lucky to have Dempsey.