Latest news with #ClintDempsey
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Clint Dempsey Showers Christian Pulisic With Major Honor
Clint Dempsey Showers Christian Pulisic With Major Honor originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Christian Pulisic has been under heavy criticism these past few weeks. From former players to US Men's National team fans, many have questioned Pulisic's decision to skip the Gold Cup. Advertisement Legends of US Soccer like Tim Howard and Landon Donovan question if Pulisic prioritizes the USMNT as he should, but one USMNT legend, Clint Dempsey, gave the 26-year-old his flowers. Dempsey is currently with Men in Blazers to tour cities where the USMNT plays during the 2025 Gold Cup. In one of the shows previewing the USMNT playing against Saudi Arabia, Dempsey was asked about his favorite players in US Soccer history, and his response raised eyebrows. Dempsey Names Pulisic Among US Soccer Legends Dempsey was asked to pick his Mount Rushmore of US Soccer players, and the former U.S. soccer captain did not hesitate to include Pulisic. Advertisement Clint Dempsey included Tim Howard, Landon Donovan, and himself. He did not care about Pulisic being young and nowhere near the end of his career, but his praise for the 26-year-old will sit well for the AC Milan player, who has been under a lot of criticism. Clint Dempsey: "Even though he's young and still has time left. I got to show love to my little bro Christian [Pulisic]." Dempsey on Pulisic Criticism A few weeks ago, when the drama surrounding Pulisic's decision to stay home instead of playing the Gold Cup, Dempsey gave his thoughts on Pulisic not playing for the USMNT. Dempsey was asked about his thoughts on Donovan questioning Pulisic's commitment to the USMNT, and his words mirror the viewpoint of Pulisic's father. Advertisement Pulisic's father did not believe Donovan was the right person to question his son due to his sabbatical during the 2012-13 season. Clint Dempsey: "Maybe right message, wrong messenger. They have a lot in common." What's Next for the USMNT? The USMNT advanced to the knockout stages of the Gold Cup after finishing first in Group D. They finished top of that group with nine points, securing three wins in the group stage. Yesterday, Team USA defeated Haiti 2-1 at the AT&T Stadium. The USMNT will play Costa Rica in the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup on Sunday at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Advertisement Costa Rica finished second in Group A with seven points. They had two wins and one draw in the group stage. Their game last night against Mexico ended 0-0 at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Related: "Not Guaranteed Another Call Up"- Tim Ream Issues Reality Check To USMNT Stars Related: Xabi Alonso Sends Message to Young Defender After Red Card in Real Madrid Win This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Clint Dempsey interview: USMNT icon on Christian Pulisic's podcast drama and pay-to-play
For the United States men's national team, it has been a summer of podcast outbursts forming a tetchy soundtrack one year out from a heavily anticipated home World Cup. Following Christian Pulisic's decision not to join up with Mauricio Pochettino's team for the Gold Cup — along with a slew of other absentees — criticism came from USMNT icons Landon Donovan and Tim Howard (on their own podcast), Pulisic issued a riposte (on a CBS podcast) and Clint Dempsey said he struggled to understand Pulisic's decision (on the Men In Blazers podcast). Advertisement In between all that, Pulisic's father appeared to launch a broadside at Donovan via Instagram (on a post liked by his son). Pochettino also used his news conferences to assert his authority, saying players 'cannot dictate the plan' after Pulisic claimed he offered to play in the two warmup friendly games but with the condition of dropping out for the Gold Cup. Dempsey also pointed out how the situation might have been averted if U.S. Soccer, the nation's governing body, and Pulisic had aligned more closely on their messaging. During an interview with The Athletic, Dempsey said: 'Why wasn't there a way that we could have been more unified in the messaging that's going out to the public? You have one of the best players for the national team, and if it had been England, if Harry Kane was missing a tournament or the Nations League or World Cup qualifying, there would be people asking questions. 'It's important to be unified and to have that conversation. Then there's no back and forth looking like two people are at odds with each other, especially a year out from the World Cup. It could have been handled better. Still, the best way to solve problems — whether you get a red card in the game or you do something stupid — is to get back on the pitch and let your play do the talking for you.' Dempsey, who earned more than 140 senior caps, has previously revealed he once had a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in his adductor to play for the USMNT. He was asked whether his locker room would have required the federation to step in or if the players would have held themselves to account. 'You would like to think you have a good enough relationship with your teammates that you could put a call in and ask, 'Hey, what's going on? Is there something I can do for you? We need you in this tournament'. At the same time, for me, it was never a question if I was going to go into the national team and play,' Dempsey said. 'Whether it was Gold Cup, World Cup qualifying, the Confederations Cup, Copa America, the World Cup, I wanted to be there because as a kid, I dreamed about representing my country. Advertisement 'I knew that there were a lot of kids where I am from that didn't make it. You're representing for them, your town, your city, your state, your country. So everybody's going through different things. Everybody's dealing with different injuries and different things mentally. I'm not privy to those conversations to know what's going on. 'What's made this situation difficult is what happened with Copa America when we did not get out of the group stage, then losing to Panama and Canada in Nations League and then the four losses in a row, the worst streak we'd had in a long time. It put more pressure on this Gold Cup. There are not many opportunities left after this for meaningful games, and you want to try to get things right.' Pulisic, who racked up more than 3,500 minutes for Milan in the 2024-25 season, told CBS his body and mind 'started talking' to him towards the end of the campaign and he felt a rest was best for his fitness. Does Dempsey, who spent 15 seasons playing in the English Premier League and in MLS, believe that USMNT players in Europe have a uniquely difficult task to balance club and country responsibilities? 'No matter what league you're in, it's going to be difficult,' he said. 'The things that are difficult about MLS are the travel and the time changes. When I played MLS, you weren't flying privately. People were asking you, 'Are you a college team? Do you play lacrosse?'. We were sitting in middle seats, sitting back next to the toilet. But then in Europe at the top teams, you're playing in more competitions and it is a grind to go back and forth to the States.' He does, however, point out that the USMNT has recently avoided the most grueling travel because it does not need to qualify for the home World Cup. 'That is the hardest traveling,' he said, 'because normally you come in, you play two games, you're going to Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Mexico, Jamaica, then you fly back to Europe on Thursday, you get there Friday morning, you have a game either Saturday or Sunday.' Advertisement And what of the soap opera that has surrounded the team this summer, with former players offering strong opinions and current players hitting back? 'It shows there's a climate where people care,' Dempsey said. 'I'm not trying to be a part of the drama. You're asking me my opinion and I'm giving you how I look at things. In terms of the Christian situation, all I think is U.S. Soccer could have been more unified about how that gets out to the public. 'Playing for your country in a tournament, I tell you what my mentality was. I am not saying whether someone's doing right or wrong. Everybody has a right to their opinion — it shows that people do care, but you never want to get in a situation where it's tit for tat. Everybody wants the same thing: to have the U.S. playing well. We want to be excited. I'd like to focus more on the positives of the new faces. They're gonna be in this Gold Cup, they're gonna push to get into the lineup and get this fanbase and team back on track to being inspired because we are one year out from the greatest tournament.' Dempsey, who was speaking at the mid-point of the Gold Cup group stage, said that following the breakthrough of young USMNT players who carried the team to the knockout stage of the World Cup in 2022, the team's development has appeared to be at 'a little bit of a standstill.' He said: 'You've had this new talent, you've developed it so far, but then where's this next young talent that's coming up and pushing these guys and having competition for spots? That would create an environment where you have to look over your shoulder and be on your game to make sure that someone's not taking your spot.' Dempsey was talking to The Athletic as part of an initiative led by Abbott, a healthcare firm that has partnered with Real Madrid as part of the Abbott Dream Team program, which will see youngsters try out in cities across the U.S. for the opportunity to then travel to Spain to train under Real Madrid coaches and learn about sports nutrition from the club's medical team. Dempsey says the tryouts are available to 18- and 19-year-old boys and girls. 'If you have the right eyes watching you, the sky is the limit,' Dempsey said. 'A buddy of mine, José Torres, he's from Longview, Texas. He played Hispanic leagues on Sunday, but through his play in Hispanic leagues, this allowed him to get a trial in Mexico with a Liga MX team and he was able to make it.' More broadly, the program is part of Abbott's and Real Madrid's ongoing 'Beat Malnutrition' campaign to provide nutrition education and malnutrition screening to children in 12 countries around the world. Last weekend, during a conversation at Fanatics Fest in New York, FIFA president Gianni Infantino criticized the 'pay-to-play' model for many young soccer players in the U.S., saying, 'For children, it must be free to play football.' When speaking to The Athletic before Infantino's intervention, Dempsey said there is room for improvement. Advertisement 'My son is in an MLS academy and you don't have to pay to play,' Dempsey said. 'If you're good enough, it doesn't matter where you come from, what your background is, that is covered. For the players in rural areas or inner cities that are not around MLS teams, it is a lot more difficult. It is a financial strain, and my family went into debt doing that. I didn't have a college fund growing up. It was, 'How bad do you want something in life? What are you willing to risk? How hard are you willing to work?'. Nothing's perfect, things need to get better. We need to make it easier for people who are less fortunate to have the chance to go chase their dreams. Hopefully, that changes, but it's just so difficult to fix everything. 'It's not fair. And I'm not saying that I want families to do the path I did. Everybody has a different story and a different path. There needs to be ways to figure out for the people that can't afford it to get the better coaching and the platform to try to take their game to the next level. I'm on board with that 100 percent.'
Fox Sports
5 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Most Gold Cup Goals: USA's Malik Tillman Has Inside Track In Golden Boot Race
Coming into the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Malik Tillman had only scored once in his first 19 appearances for the U.S. men's national team. He's now scored three times in as many games at the tournament, putting him in a prime spot to finish as the top goalscorer if the U.S. makes a deep run. Tillman has been a breakout star for the USMNT at the Gold Cup, which has solidified his case for being in next year's World Cup squad for Mauricio Pochettino. "What a talented player. I'm so pleased with him. So pleased. He's a lovely guy, and he's started to find himself. The team is much better when he's involved in the game," Pochettino said about Tillman after scoring in the USMNT's 2-1 win over Haiti. Next up for the U.S. team is a quarterfinal clash with Costa Rica, which advanced to knockout round thanks to Manfred Ugalde – who shares the goals lead with Tillman and Mexico's Cesar Montes. But Los Ticos will be without Ugalde due to yellow card accumulation for the quarterfinal match against the USMNT. That means Tillman can take in the inside track for the Golden Boot if he continues scoring. Here's how the race for the Gold Cup Golden Boot is shaking out. You can also find full stats here: Player Country Goals Manfred Ugalde CRC 3 César Montes MEX 3 Malik Tillman USA 3 Josimar Alcocer CRC 2 Patrick Agyemang USA 2 Who has scored the most Gold Cup goals ever? Landon Donovan has the most goals scored ever in Gold Cup history. With 18 goals across six editions of the tournament played, he leads fellow U.S. legend Clint Dempsey (15 goals in 5 tournaments) in the all-time table. Two former Mexico greats (Luis Roberto 'Zaguinho' Alves and Andres Guardado) have 12 goals apiece. Panama's Blas Perez rounds out the top-five with 11 goals. Who has scored the most Gold Cup goals in a single tournament? Luis Roberto 'Zaguinho' Alves scored an incredible 11 goals at the 1993 Gold Cup. Seven of those came in a 9-0 win over Martinique. Three players are tied in second place with seven goals in a single tournament – Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez (2011), Clint Dempsey (2015), and Jesus Ferreira (2023). Who are the all-time USMNT goal scorers? Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey are co-leaders on the all-time U.S. list (57 goals). Jozy Altidore (42), Eric Wynalda (34), and Christian Pulisic (32) round out the top five on the list. Pulisic, who is sitting out the 2025 Gold Cup, is the only active player on the top-10 list for the U.S. men's team. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from Gold Cup Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fulham linked with 'El Toro'
Fulham fans may be excited at the prospect of links with a new striker but who is Ricardo Pepi? The PSV front man hails from El Paso, Texas and although he was born in the USA he grew up on a diet of Mexican football and even supported the Mexico national team – the country of his mother's birth. Advertisement He played for both nations at youth level but he eventually chose to represent the United States in August 2021. "It was a difficult decision," he admitted. "I thought about it for three or four years and I had to talk a lot with my family and the people I trust the most. It was a decision made with my heart." He is nicknamed 'El Toro', or 'The Bull', and he bagged a hat-trick on his professional debut for North Texas in 2019 while on loan from MLS outfit FC Dallas. His favourite player is Cristiano Ronaldo but he has previously listed Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus as a big inspiration and Pepi's style isn't too dissimilar to that of the Brazilian. If Pepi was to sign for the Cottagers he would become the 13th American to play for the club. It's an illustrious list with fan favourites such as Clint Dempsey, Brian McBride and current marauding left-back Antonee Robinson. Oh, and it also includes former Reading goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann. Perhaps most importantly of all he looks to be blossoming at the age of 22. Last season he netted 11 times in 18 league outings for PSV on their way to the Dutch title.
BBC News
19-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Fulham linked with 'El Toro'
Fulham fans may be excited at the prospect of links with a new striker but who is Ricardo Pepi?The PSV front man hails from El Paso, Texas and although he was born in the USA he grew up on a diet of Mexican football and even supported the Mexico national team – the country of his mother's played for both nations at youth level but he eventually chose to represent the United States in August 2021. "It was a difficult decision," he admitted. "I thought about it for three or four years and I had to talk a lot with my family and the people I trust the most. It was a decision made with my heart."He is nicknamed 'El Toro', or 'The Bull', and he bagged a hat-trick on his professional debut for North Texas in 2019 while on loan from MLS outfit FC favourite player is Cristiano Ronaldo but he has previously listed Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus as a big inspiration and Pepi's style isn't too dissimilar to that of the Pepi was to sign for the Cottagers he would become the 13th American to play for the club. It's an illustrious list with fan favourites such as Clint Dempsey, Brian McBride and current marauding left-back Antonee Robinson. Oh, and it also includes former Reading goalkeeper Marcus most importantly of all he looks to be blossoming at the age of 22. Last season he netted 11 times in 18 league outings for PSV on their way to the Dutch title.
