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Find out more about Jesse: Jesse Baumgartner is a journalist and fanatical soccer follower. He's covered North Carolina basketball and the Seattle Mariners in addition to writing articles about college soccer and the MLS. He'll also be in London this fall studying – that is, during the few moments when he isn't attending Premiership matches. |
The other bonus of going to Craven Cottage was that I had a front-row seat to check in on American standout Clint Dempsey in his club-team setting with Fulham.
Everything about Dempsey is a little flashy, and that’s not meant as a criticism. As he warms up in a passing circle with several teammates, there’s always a juggle or a few fancy dribbles before he passes it on to the next guy. Afterward it’s a juggling competition with a teammate while trying to do numerous tricks.
On the field, it’s more of the same. There’s a flair to Dempsey’s game that’s fun to watch and that makes him stand out even among his Fulham teammates (and certainly his fellow Americans). When he came on in the 64th minute he immediately made an impact down the right side and flipped a nice little pass through to Andy Johnson in the box for what would prove to be the decisive penalty.
That was the first of several nice moments for Dempsey during his productive stint, which was capped off by a gorgeous little move when he controlled a ball and flipped it over his head before spinning around and beating his defender as he approached the box.
There are certainly times when his showy nature can make him a little careless, but it’s hard to imagine that the American won’t have a chance to start before the year is over.
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