MLS: Top 5 wingers in league history
By Matt Coles
3. Clint Dempsey
Taking the bronze medal on our list of the best-ever wingers to have played in the American top flight is a man that had two spells in the league, former New England and Seattle star Clint Dempsey.
Before making his debut in Major League Soccer in 2004, the American spent three years at Furman University, where he played 62 times for the Paladins, scoring 17 goals in that period.
MLS Career & Honours:
- New England Revolution (2004-2006)
- Seattle Sounders (2013-2018)
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- MLS Best XI – 2005, 2006
- MLS Rookie of the Year – 2004
- MLS Comeback Player of the Year – 2017
- CONCACAF Gold Cup Golden Boot – 2015
- United States All-Time leading goalscorer (57)
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- MLS Cup – 2016
- Supporters’ Shield – 2014
- U.S. Open Cup – 2014
- CONCACAF Gold Cup – 2005, 2007, 2017
Dempsey was selected by the New England Revolution with the 8th overall pick in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft, and he immediately became a part of the first-team set-up, starting 23 matches in his debut campaign in the league. The winger scored seven times and recorded a single assist that year, which was enough to earn MLS Rookie of the Year honours.
In both 2005 and 2006, the Revolution made it all the way through to the MLS Cup final but unfortunately lost out in both. They lost in extra time against LA Galaxy in the former, before then being defeated by Houston Dynamo in a penalty shoot-out in 2006. Dempsey’s best season with the club came in the former, as he scored ten goals and recorded nine assists, with his efforts giving him a place in the MLS Best XI for the first time. He was joined by fellow New England stars Shalrie Joseph and Taylor Twellman, who took home MVP honours that year.
Dempsey then made his way into the Best XI for a second successive year, this time being the only Revolution member to be named into the prestigious side. He was also now in form for the national side as well. He was a key part of the United States teams that lifted the CONCACAF Gold Cup trophy in both 2005 and 2007, scoring goals at both editions of the tournament.
The American left New England following the conclusion of the 2006 campaign, moving across the Atlantic to the Premier League. He helped guide Fulham to the UEFA Europa League final in 2010, and after a short spell with Tottenham Hotspur, Dempsey returned to the United States when he signed for Seattle Sounders in the summer of 2013. He played nine times for the club in the latter part of the regular season, before starting to up his goal tally in the next campaign.
He had his best goalscoring term in 2014, finding the back of the net 15 times during the regular season, along with recording 10 assists in just 26 appearances, as the Sounders lifted the Supporters’ Shield title. Seattle also won the U.S. Open Cup for their first-ever double-winning campaign. Dempsey scored the first goal in extra time in the final after they had drawn 1-1 with Philadelphia Union in regulation. The Sounders eventually won the match 3-1, with the winger being named Man of the Match for his efforts.
The 2015 campaign saw Dempsey hit double digits in both goals and assists for a second consecutive season, as he had a 10/10 term. He would carry that good form into 2016, scoring eight times and recording a couple of assists in 17 regular-season appearances, but an irregular heartbeat many that he missed the Sounders’ run to the MLS Cup. However, he was awarded a winners’ medal for his efforts during the regular season.
Dempsey came back strongly in 2017, reaching double-digit goals for the fourth time in his MLS career, and for the third time in four full seasons in the Pacific Northwest. The American scored 12 goals during the regular season, along with recording five assists, earning the MLS Comeback Player of the Year award. That same year, Dempsey earned a third CONCACAF Gold Cup winners’ medal, as the USMNT took the title once again. The winger took the Golden Boot at the tournament and would retire from international football later that year, with his 57 goals in 141 appearances tying him alongside Landon Donovan as his country’s all-time leading goalscorer.
He only played 14 times during the 2018 campaign, and after suffering a couple of injuries, Dempsey announced his retirement from the professional game that August, bringing a five-year spell to an end in Seattle. He finished his MLS career with over 180 regular-season appearances, along with a further 23 post-season games. Dempsey scored 72 goals and recorded 42 assists during that time, and will forever be known as an American legend when it comes to the beautiful game.