US soccer legend Clint Dempsey previews team's World Cup chances, discusses 'responsibility' to grow the game

The United States has been waiting for men's shot to instrumentality off; it has been close, but adjacent summertime could beryllium the large ascend.

Next year, of course, marks the archetypal clip since 1994 that the United States volition big the World Cup (along with Canada and Mexico). 

The U.S. Men's National Team (USMNT) has yet to get implicit the hump, but they person reached the knockout signifier successful each of their past 2 World Cups. With 1 bully showing, erstwhile USMNT prima Clint Dempsey thinks the athletics could beryllium the adjacent large happening successful America.

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U.S. Men's National Team prima Clint Dempsey, #8, dribbles upfield against Jamaica during the archetypal fractional of their CONCACAF World Cup qualifying crippled astatine Crew Stadium connected Sept. 11, 2012. (Kyle Robertson / USA TODAY NETWORK)

"When I deliberation backmost to the 1994 World Cup and going to my archetypal crippled successful Dallas, due to the fact that of however good the U.S. squad did and however overmuch the crippled grew due to the fact that of having the World Cup here, I’m funny to spot what volition hap from a bully showing adjacent year, if the U.S. tin execute well, what could travel of that," Dempsey told Fox News Digital successful a caller interview. "It’s excessively galore times it seems similar each 4 years, everybody that’s mainstream American taking announcement alternatively of mainstream American taking announcement each year. 

"You person [Lionel] Messi moving the needle successful presumption of creating an interaction successful mainstream media, but if the U.S. person a large showing astatine the World Cup, the entity is the bounds arsenic to what tin beryllium accomplished. I americium a small spot nervous, though, close now, but I’m looking guardant to a beardown showing astatine the Gold Cup to get a creation for the large creation successful 2026."

Why is Dempsey nervous? Well, not advancing retired of the radical signifier successful the Copa América past year, a tourney that lone includes countries successful North and South America, connected their ain location ungraded volition bash that.

"It was a failure. You’re the lone big state to not get retired of the radical signifier successful COPA America," Dempsey said bluntly.

"But they tin get backmost connected track. I deliberation [head manager Mauricio Pochettino] needs a small much clip with them. Hopefully Gold Cup, beardown showing, get backmost connected track, and effort to bash thing special."

U.S. caput manager Mauricio Pochettino gives a property league up of an planetary affable shot lucifer against Mexico astatine Akron Stadium successful Guadalajara, Mexico, connected Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File)

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The World Cup volition people garner viewers and turn the crippled connected its own. However, Dempsey has ever felt a "responsibility" to bash it himself. So, that is wherefore helium has partnered with Abbott, the Official Health and Nutrition Sciences Partner of Real Madrid Football Club, to marque the Abbott Dream Team.

Abbott and Real Madrid are hosting shot tryouts for 18- and 19-year-olds successful Chicago, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Dallas this summer, erstwhile the 11 apical players volition question overseas connected an all-expenses-paid travel to Ciudad Real Madrid successful Valdebebas, Madrid this fall. Players tin motion up astatine abbottdreamteam.com.

"I’m blessed to springiness kids a level to pursuit their dreams. One of those cities to effort retired happens to beryllium Dallas wherever I benignant of started it all. It comes afloat ellipse for me, arsenic that’s wherever I played my nine shot increasing up successful the classical league. So look guardant to being a portion of that," Dempsey said. "These young players person an accidental to pursuit their dreams and besides larn astir nutrition to prolong their careers if they get fortunate capable to get to bash this arsenic a profession. I’m blessed to get radical beryllium a portion of thing that gives radical the accidental to pursuit their dreams, due to the fact that astatine the extremity of the day, that's what it's each about. I was fortunate capable to marque it my imagination and bash it for a living."

"I conscionable benignant of ever felt similar I've been trying to turn the crippled successful presumption of trailblazing, but astatine the aforesaid time, if you person opportunities similar this to springiness backmost and springiness radical that level to person those experiences, it's special, due to the fact that that's what life’s about," helium added. "I person six kids, and it's beauteous engaged chasing them around, and sometimes it feels similar you're an Uber driver, but's it's maine watching them effort to pursuit their dreams. That's what this beingness is about. You wanna springiness radical the accidental to to bash thing peculiar successful their beingness truthful you tin beryllium astatine bid and look backmost beryllium blessed with everything. So that's conscionable benignant of I'm astatine successful life. I wanna assistance radical out, and this was a cleanable level for that."

United States guardant Clint Dempsey, #8, against Belgium during the circular of sixteen lucifer successful the 2014 World Cup astatine Arena Fonte Nova. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

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Dempsey, similar each of us, is hoping the connection "failure" is not brought up adjacent summertime during the World Cup. The USMNT tin debar that, Dempsey said, arsenic agelong arsenic they tin proceed what they person done successful caller Cups.

"At the bare minimum, I deliberation you person to get retired of the group. If you don't the group, it's a failure," Dempsey said. "There’s gonna beryllium a batch of unit connected this squad for being 1 of the big countries, and not getting retired of the radical volition beryllium a failure. It starts with getting retired of the group, get radical believing, and thing tin hap erstwhile you get into the knockout rounds."

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