Meet US soccer team’s hero: Dempsey
Clint Dempsey, the fourth of five born to a family of humble means in the small east Texas town of Nacogdoches, is the key to American success in the world’s game. Establishing himself overseas in a way that has proven difficult for USA players past and present, Dempsey – tireless and occasionally ill-tempered out on the pitch – has the ability to inspire his teammates, to turn on the fans and to turn an American team, known primarily for rough and ready endeavour, into something more, something a bit special.
Clint Dempsey
Dempsey’s idol when he was a young boy, the son of a carpenter who drove him six hours twice a week from the family trailer to training, is instructive when considering the American attacker. “He was amazing,” Dempsey, 27, told FIFA.com, referring to the incomparable Diego Maradona who famously overcome abject poverty to become the toast of the football world. “I used to watch a video called ‘Hero’ over and over. I wore the tape down. The things he could do with the ball were just so amazing. It just made me fall in love with soccer.”
