Dempsey to Sounders

Re: Clint Dempsey

No worries, welcome to the site encorespanish!

You aren't the only one who found Clint's 'I want to play CL football' a little hollow. He did always say also that he'd rather try and fail in pursuit of the CL than never trying at all. If Spurs had made it, I think he might have preferred to stay and fight it out for playing time. However, the handwriting was on the wall that he was going to be moved (thank God it isn't playing for Wet Spam) and not to a Top 4 contender. Never in his wildest dreams could he imagine getting that kind of contract from the MLS. I think he made 86K is final year with the Revs :shock: He probably just made an additional 20-23 million.

Ironically, my wife and I were in for Seattle last friday for the day on our way home and did the stadium tour (I'm a huge Seahawks fan). Was able to get down on the field turf and while grass is preferable that stuff is pristine and it isn't like the astroturf of our youths. There is also a reason that place has registered on the Richter Scale, our group of 18 when down on the field and yelled 'Seahawks', the echo we created was shocking. Clint is going to love playing and living in the Emerald City. The big problem for me as a Timbers fan is I can never root for the Sounders.

 

Re: Clint Dempsey

I know it's not the astroturf of our youth, but even with the little rubber mouse droppings, it just does not give the way a well watered grass field does. I hope and pray Dempsey does not get injured because of it. However, as a Timbers and Dynamo fan I will be hoping he is an epic fail in Seattle. It's strange to go from hoping he does well in every game to hoping he does nothing. Also, I read that as far as MLS, he was only willing to go to Seattle, the Galaxy, or Toronto. OK I kinda understand the first two, but Toronto? What is that about? They're a terrible team. Oh well, it only makes it easier to root against him.

 

Re: Clint Dempsey

Interestingly enough, Dempsey finally went totally public in a broadcast yesterday on ESPN FC, where he stated that on his visit to the US this Summer, he was asked if he would consider a move back to the MLS and didn't dismiss it. He then said that Sounders contacted his agent and Spuds and the deal was done in two weeks! Simple as that. He was also asked about Klinnsmans comments regarding the national team players playing at the highest level, and replied that he believes that if a player maintains his standard he sees no problem (totally paraphrased).

My only concern here is, go back 12 months, and Clint did a similar thing on a trip back home when still a Fulham player, which led to the embarrassment of FSG claiming on their website that he had signed for the red poo.

Seems that when Clint wants away, then he wants away and will do anything to get his way, and this was personally driven, for financial reasons as well.

Personally I think this is a coup for the MLS, and can only be a good thing for both the Sounders and MLS overall. As for the USMNT, well, the jury will be out for the next 4 games when I think Klinnsman will decide whether Clint is keeping his skills up to standard, compared to those still playing overseas.

 

Re: Clint Dempsey

Dont know if this was posted yet but this is an interesting interview with Dempsey by SI.

This in particular.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/news/20130812/clint-dempsey-seattle-sounders-mls-interview/

 

Re: Clint Dempsey

I disagree with the "ringing hollow" comments. And I don't think Spurs had a problem letting him go.

The large English clubs with any shot at Champs Lg tend to buy young. They rarely buy in veterans unless they're established elite players, and even then they usually aren't 30 years old. Tottenham was the last bastion for veterans in the Prem that wanted a shot at making Champs Lg. With the recent influx in transfer spending there, it appears they're following suit with the rest of England and buying young (have to assume they're spending the anticipated Bale money, no?). To me, that's a bit of a shame b/c I didn't think they fell short offensively last year, and that was with significant time missed to injury by Bale, Defoe and Dempsey. Their defense is what cost them a top 4 finish. I was hopeful to see a club show that they could use effective, more affordable veteran players and upset on or more of the higher spending clubs in the league. Looks like that's out the window now.

As a result of the shift at Tottenham, Clint's situation changed in a manner that neither he nor the club probably anticipated when he signed a year ago. He could be a bench player for a club competing for (not playing in) Champs Lg, move to another midtable club in England, uproot his family (his kids are approaching school age now, if I'm not mistaken) and take on a new language/culture in continental Europe with a side in the Champs Lg (if that was even an option), or as it turned out, return home for that big final contract that would see out his career. By most accounts, that's what he was looking for from Fulham and when it wasn't an option, he wanted to take a shot with a team with Champs Lg aspirations. If he were younger, you might have seen him more willing to fight for a spot and risk sitting on the bench with Spurs. But as others have speculated, I think he hit a crossroads where he had to accept that dream wasn't going to happen and move on to the priority of maximizing his earning potential in a final deal. MLS offered something far more significant than any midtable side in England was going to offer, so there you go.

 

Re: Clint Dempsey

AggieMatt,
I understand your logic with the issue of CL Players, but then again, Van Persie is the same age as Dempsey, and Torres is just a year younger, so if the skill level is there, notwithstanding the age, players will be picked up by the top teams, and, unfortunately, Dempsey was not considered in that top bracket, and, as I think you alluded to, he would be a bench player in any of them.

It's such a great pity that he had his head turned by the reds last year, and from that moment onwards he believed he was in that top bracket, whereas he is just a great BPL-level player.

Overall, if he was not happy at Spuds, and he wouldn't consider another top-half Prem team, then he made the right decision to return home, for both personal and fiscal reasons.

 

Agreed. While I think Clint is undervalued in England, I wouldn't put him in the same sentence as Van Persie. Torres sure, but that's the Torres of now, not the one that left Liverpool and was 26 when Chelsea bought him. Unfortunately for Clint, I think his development came a little too late. It's not that I think he can't play and contribute well for a Champs Lg team, it's just that unless you're elite or an established veteran generated by your club (Giggs, Scholes, etc) you're not going to get much of a shot at the age of 30 and certainly not over a youngster who is thought to have a lot of potential.

On the one hand, that's a shame for a player like Clint b/c there are plenty of players on Champions Lg sides who are not great BPL players. But it's good on the other hand b/c it gives the rest of us a shot at getting players of a caliber that enable us to compete with the big boys (to an extent) despite the disparity in payrolls.

Disagree on the head turning. It's been pretty well documented now that Fulham weren't offering long term deals in advance of the sale so I don't think there was ever a realistic option to keep him.

 

Following the comments by Klinnsman on ESPN FC broadcast yesterday, looks like there are a number of issues thrown up by this:

1. Demps didn't inform Klinnsman of his intentions prior to the move (perhaps because he know what he would have been told)
2. Klinnsman obviously doesn't believe that his top players should turn down the opportunity to play in the highest league they can
3. He reiterated that he will tell Clint to his face if he feels he is not keeping at being the best he can

There are some that would believe that item 1 above really matters not, and it wouldn't except that this is the Captain, and someone the manager has such trust in. As far as I'm concerned, Clint did what is best for him, and he is fully aware of any consequences, so good luck to him.

Here are the video links for those that missed the interview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzG6gUnhjXc

Cannot find a link for the Clint interview at present.

 

If playing in MLS isn't an issue with Donovan, I don't see why it would be with Clint.

I get and agree with Klinnsman's desire to have our young guys playing abroad to up their game. But once you've done it (nevermind as successfully as any American ever has) I don't see why returning to MLS as a seasoned veteran would be an issue. The only way I could see it as an issue is if you have another guy playing in one of the major leagues in Europe competing for your spot (i.e. Howard returns to MLS, while Guzan is starting at Villa).

I won't get into my disdain for what amounts to reporting at ESPN these days, but this looks like another example.

 

I think what Klinsmann was getting at, apart from upping the game by playing at the higher level, is that these are the players we will be meeting in the WCF, and to play against them, understand their moves and gameplay, generally knowing what makes them tick, is a big advantage.

Nothing wrong with the ESPN reporting, in this case, these were words spoken by Klinsmann, and it's his thoughts that count as far as the USMNT goes I feel.

I agree its not an issue unless there is competition, but, as we have seen from today's game, Klinsmann is finding players currently playing abroad now, who may have never have played MLS, so that threat could well be just round the corner. Demps, as per his countryman McBride, did the right thing for himself returning back home, I just hope he doesn't believe that he has any right to wear the USMNT shirt over and above any other player though (not that he has intimated that - I believe he is fully aware of any implications by now). He will work hard to keep his place, I have little doubt of that.

 

Thanks Don, I find I am following the MLS and USMNT much more these days, and am in need of learning - so, where better to come to than the font of knowledge from those whose opinions I trust. And as I am a Yank now, Suzie reckons it was inevitable!! LOL

Any chances of arranging a meet next year should the Fulham visit to the Jags come off? I still recall the All-Stars game so many years back in Columbus - that was a treat.

 

Can we start another thread, just to gauge the interest and have a single focus point for everyone to refer to?