Number 28: Clint Dempsey
Country: USA
Position: Flank Midfielder/Forward
Club Team: Fulham FC
American Based Professional “Soulmate”: Joe Johnson G Atlanta Hawks
Some may be wondering, “Why hasn’t Landon appeared on the players to watch list for the United States?” The answer is simple – the most important player for the Yanks to be successful in South Africa is Clint Dempsey. Don’t get me wrong, this is no knock on Lanbro, he is an excellent player,
evident by his future transfer to Everton. However, I can say with great confidence that on a pure talent level Clint is the best player the National Team has. While Clint’s potential is higher than Landon’s, his basement is also much lower. When Landon has a bad game, he can still be effective in spots. When Clint is off, you might as well be playing with ten men. The US needs Clint Dempsey at the top of his game for a beneficial result against England.
Must’ve been against a good team…
The biggest complaint of Clint Dempsey is his performance against lesser teams at the international level. When it comes to big games, Dempsey is at his best. He simply decides that is he is going to take over. The Confederations Cup is a prime example. When the United States was pushed into a corner, Dempsey fought the team out with goals against the Egypt, Spain, and the eventual champions Brazil. When playing teams that the United States should dominate, it does not seem like Clint mentally even gets off the bus. I can totally foresee Clint score a dramatic goal against in our opening World Cup Match, then turn into the Invisible
Man against Algeria and Slovenia.
This brings us to Joe Johnson. Johnson is without a doubt the most important player to the Atlanta
Hawks. Good friend and Yanks Senior writer Neil W. Blackmon makes the case that Johnson is the most underrated guard in the NBA. Without his 20 PPG and 5+ APG, the Hawks would be nowhere near the third best record in the NBA. As long as Johnson is on his game, the Hawks will have a chance to win. You may be asking,
“I get it, Dempsey and Johnson are both instrumental in their team’s success, but is
that it?” No it is not. Johnson seems to have the same problem that Dempsey has when it comes to playing at the level of his competition. Here are a few numbers for further explanation. Against dominate teams like Boston, Dallas, Denver, LAL, Johnson averages 24, 32, 22, and 27 PPG respectively. However, against the God awful shitty teams of the NBA like, Charlotte, Detroit, Philly, and Toronto, his PPG averages plummet to 13, 10, 9, and 16 respectively.
It appears that Clint Dempsey and Joe Johnson are kindred spirits. Boys, please get your shit together against the terrible teams in your respective sports. You’re killing me.