2 weeks ago
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Associated Press
Jul 18, 2025, 07:02 AM ET
Former United States men's nationalist squad prima Clint Dempsey said occurrence connected the tract during friendlies implicit the adjacent twelvemonth would assistance the U.S. capable seats with fans from their location state astatine the World Cup adjacent year, a turnaround from pro-opponent crowds astatine this year's Concacaf Gold Cup.
Coach Mauricio Pochettino and existent players took enactment that spectators were overwhelmingly rooting for Guatemala successful St. Louis and Mexico successful Houston.
"We were outnumbered successful the games that mattered successful presumption of the semifinal and past final. There were much fans for the opposing team. So it's up to the nationalist squad players to enactment a merchandise connected the tract that makes radical privation to spell walk their hard-earned money," Dempsey said Thursday during an interrogation with The Associated Press.
"I deliberation with everybody being backmost and having that combat and benignant of mixing that unneurotic with the quality, I deliberation that volition springiness radical information to spell retired determination and enactment this team."
The Americans person 10 friendlies on FIFA planetary fixture dates, 2 each successful September, October, November, March and June, earlier opening the World Cup astatine Inglewood, California, connected June 12. They play astatine Seattle 7 days aboriginal past adjacent the radical signifier astatine Inglewood connected June 25.
"I privation to spot a squad that is playing successful an breathtaking style, whether it's defending well, gathering retired of the back, getting forward, creating chances, getting goals," Dempsey said. "I conscionable privation to spot the combat and the grit that we saw successful the Gold Cup, conscionable with much quality. That's what I'm looking guardant to, that squad that gets you believing again that they tin spell and triumph games against apical competition."
Dempsey, tied with Landon Donovan for the American grounds of 57 planetary goals, is an expert for CBS shot sum and the Men In Blazers Media Network, and helium worked for Fox astatine the 2022 World Cup.
He presently is progressive successful a promotion for the wellness attraction institution Abbott successful which 11 players volition beryllium selected to bid astatine Real Madrid with nine coaches and with input from Abbott scientists and the club's aesculapian staff.
Now 42, Dempsey played for U.S. teams that were eliminated successful the radical signifier of the 2006 World Cup, reached the circular of 16 successful 2010 and '14, and failed to suffice for the 2018 tournament. He says the rebuild for 2022, erstwhile the Americans again reached the circular of 16, was affirmative with the caller vigor but came astatine the outgo of seasoned expertise. Defender DeAndre Yedlin was the lone holdover from 2014.
After winning the Concacaf Nations League successful 2021, 2023 and 2024, the Americans were eliminated successful the radical signifier of the 2024 Copa América, causing the U.S. Soccer Federation to regenerate Gregg Berhalter with Pochettino, and mislaid successful the semifinals of this year's Nations League and the last of this year's Gold Cup.
"There wasn't that large premix of a batch of older players benignant of passing down lessons that they learned implicit the years," Dempsey said. "And sometimes it's 1 of those situations wherever you request idiosyncratic to shingle things up, right? You don't cognize if it's egos. You don't cognize what is the crushed for wherefore things don't enactment out. So I deliberation aft Copa América aft Nations League, determination decidedly needed to beryllium immoderate things shook up.
"And I deliberation the much that radical benignant of look implicit their enarthrosis a small bit, their spots are not guaranteed, you person a civilization that done grooming you tin combat your mode into getting into that starting lineup, I deliberation radical tin get down that and judge successful that."
Dempsey and woman Bethany person six children that support them busy, daughters Elyse (16), Fifi (12) and Maevy (2), and sons Jackson (14) and Clay (10) and Linc (4).
Jackson plays for Charlotte's academy. Dempsey doesn't coach, and portion helium ne'er expected to stay successful shot arsenic a broadcaster, he's pleased with his caller roles.
At the World Cup, the U.S. volition beryllium seeded arsenic 1 of the 3 co-hosts. That means the Americans won't person a apical 10 hostile successful their radical and if they decorativeness archetypal could debar a beardown federation successful the caller circular of 32.
"If you are looking connected numbers and looking connected paper," Dempsey said, "you person a accidental to bash thing peculiar and hopefully they instrumentality vantage of it. I deliberation we request each the champion players fit, playing week in, week out. I'm excited to spot what they bash with mixing a small spot much prime into this warring and gritty benignant of civilization that you've seen passim the Gold Cup."
