USA TODAY International Edition
USA gets boost from Dempsey
A few months ago, SAN JOSE Clint Dempsey feared that a heart condition would not only prevent him from returning to U. S. national soccer team action but also affect his quality of life. Now? He is well and truly back. The veteran Seattle Sounders forward signaled his return to the squad Friday with a hat trick for the USA in its 6- 0 thumping of Honduras in a crucial World Cup qualifying match, a statement that suggested that now that the 34- year- old is around again, he has no plans on going anywhere.
Dempsey missed the end of the Major League Soccer season after being diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat and conceded he experienced bleak moments during his layoff.
“There is always the possibility that you are not going to be able to come back and be at that high level, and you have to try to work hard to make sure everything is right,” Dempsey said. “It was a tough process going through that and not really knowing.”
Coach Bruce Arena did not envision Dempsey in a starting role when he named his squad, but that changed quickly, after injuries to Bobby Wood and Jordan Morris.
“We didn’t have anyone else,” joked Arena, who asked Dempsey on Wednesday if his fitness level meant he could start the game. Dempsey responded that not only could he do that, but that he felt strong enough to go as long as necessary.
The result was a trio of goals capped by a sensational angled free kick and, more significantly, an effortless instant rapport between him and youngster Christian Pulisic that can only bode well for the future.
“Man, he is a great player,” Dempsey said of Pulisic, who scored one goal and set up three more. “He can beat people one on one and creates mismatches because of that. It is great to have someone who can win that individual battle and break teams open. He makes people better around him, and the sky is the limit.”
Pulisic is improving, still remarkably young for one so proficient, still a little shy. But his face lit up when asked to reflect on the experience of playing with Dempsey, who began his MLS career when Pulisic was 5.
“He is an easy guy to play with,” Pulisic said. “It is really fun playing in behind him and off of him. He is strong and technical and makes good runs, he always gives good support — and he is clinical.”
Friday’s result gave Arena a superb start in the first competitive game of his second term in charge of the team and eased the pressure that had built up after a two losses to open the final round of CONCACAF regional qualifying under Jurgen Klinsmann.
Tuesday’s visit to Panama is less daunting, with the Honduras victory having moved the team up from last place of the six- team table and into fourth. The top three teams will qualify automatically for Russia next summer, while a fourth goes into an intercontinental playoff vs. a team from the Asia confederation.
Dempsey’s goal spree put his career tally with the USA at 55, two short of Landon Donovan’s career mark. Dempsey is neither ignoring nor fixating upon that.
“Yeah, it is in your mind, but if it comes it comes,” he said. “Hopefully I can break it but a bigger thing is trying to get us to the World Cup.”