9 March 2005 - A Pair Of Clints

On 9 March 2005, Clint Dempsey made his first start for the United States in a 3-0 win over Colombia.

The striker/midfielder had gotten his first cap in November 2004, but had yet to crack the starting line-up until the friendly against Colombia, played on his 22nd birthday. He was one of six players making their starting debut, including goalkeeper Jon Busch and defenders Richie Kotschau and Chad Marshall. Those three, along with substitute Nat Borchers, were playing with the national team for the first time. Dempsey was also one of two Clints on the pitch, joining

The US went up 1-0 with a 25th-minute goal from Dempsey's New England Revolution teammate, Pat Noonan, with an assist from another Revolution player, Steve Ralston. Ralston also assisted on the second goal, scored by Marshall in the 33rd minute. Clint Mathis completed the win with a third goal in the 66th minute.

While Dempsey did not score that day, he has since gone on to net a total of 57 goals in 141 appearances, making him the team's all-time top scorer.

21 January 2012 - Deuce With A Triple

On 21 January 2012, Clint Dempsey became the first American to score a hat-trick in the Premier League, lifting Fulham to a 5-2 win over Newcastle.

A striker/midfielder, Dempsey--nicknamed "Deuce"--was in his sixth year with the London club, having joined them in January 2007 in a deal worth a reported £2M. He quickly established himself as a regular in the starting eleven, making over forty appearances in each of the next five seasons.

Midway through the 2011-12 season, Fulham were struggling in the bottom half of the table while Newcastle were challenging for a European spot. Newcastle won the first meeting 2-1 at St. James' Park back in August. So the odds were stacked against Fulham in the return fixture at Craven Cottage.

The match went according to form in the first half, with the visitors going up 0-1 after a Fulham error led to a 43rd-minute goal from Newcastle midfielder Danny Guthrie. But the hosts roared back in the second half, drawing level with a penalty kick from Danny Murphy in the 52nd minute, then going ahead with a pair of Dempsey goals (59', 65'). Another Fulham penalty, scored by Bobby Zamora in the 68th minute, stretched the lead to 4-1.

Newcastle's Hatem Ben Arfa closed the gap to 4-2 in the 85th minute, but Dempsey completed his hat-trick four minutes later to restore the three-goal lead and end the day at 5-2.

Dempsey went on to score a career high 23 goals in all competitions that season before moving to Tottenham in August 2012 for a reported fee of around £6M.

23 June 2010 - The Yanks Aren't Dead Yet

On 23 June 2010, Landon Donovan's 91st-minute goal saved the United States from a first-round elimination and won them the top spot in their World Cup group.

The US had opened the tournament with a 1-1 draw against England, followed by a 2-2 draw with Slovenia. In both matches, the Yanks had surrendered early leads and had to claw their way back to earn a point. Against England, they went down 1-0 to a 4th-minute goal from Steven Gerrard before Clint Dempsey's speculative shot in the 40th minute slipped through the hands of keeper Rob Green to level the sides. Against Slovenia, the US were down 2-0 at the break before goals from Donovan (48') and Michael Bradley (82') earned them the draw. They appeared to get a late winner when Maurice Edu struck the ball home off of a Donovan free kick, but the referee disallowed the goal.

Against Algeria in the group's last match, the US managed to avoid giving up an early goal, but struggled to find one of their own. Playing before a crowd of 35,827 at Pretoria's Loftus Versfeld Stadium, the teams battled to a scoreless draw for 90 minutes. Had that result stood, both the US and Algeria would have been eliminated.

But in the first minute of stoppage time, US keeper Tim Howard threw the ball upfield to Donovan, who raced forward and passed it to forward Jozy Altidore in the Algerian box. Altidore crossed the ball in for Dempsey, but the Algerian keeper, Raïs M'Bolhi, beat Dempsey to the ball and batted it away. It fell at the feet of a surging Donovan, who fired it home for the win.

In the Round of 16, the US again fell victim to an early goal and were eliminated by Ghana, 1-2 (aet).

18 March 2010 - Juventus Get Their Fill Of Fulham

On 18 March 2010, Fulham rallied from a 4-1 aggregate deficit to beat Juventus in the Europa Cup, 5-4.

It was only Fulham's second appearance in a UEFA competition, but they beat several more experienced sides on the way to their meeting with Juventus, including group-stage wins over Basel (twice) and CSKA Sofia, plus a knockout round aggregate victory over Shakhtar Donetsk.

They lost their first leg against Juventus in Turin on 11 March, 3-1, presenting an uphill battle for the second leg at Craven Cottage. That hill became a little steeper in just the second minute, as Juventus striker David Trezeguet scored to extend their aggregate lead to 4-1.

Fulham got a lifeline seven minutes later with a goal from striker Bobby Zamora, then caught a break when Juventus defender Fabio Cannavaro received a straight red card for a cynical foul on Zoltán Gera in the 27th minute. Gera made Juventus pay in the 39th minute, scoring from two yards out to narrow the aggregate margin to 4-3. Shortly after the break, Gera brought Fulham level when the referee awarded a 49th-minute penalty for a Juventus handball. Then, in the 83rd minute, with extra-time looming, Fulham substitute Clint Dempsey unleashed an arcing shot from outside the penalty area that flew into the top far corner of the net. It was a remarkable goal and sealed the victory.

Fulham eventually reached the tournament final where they fell to Atlético Madrid.

29 January 2006 - Eight May Be Enough, But Nine Is Better

On 29 January 2006, the United States beat Norway 5-0 in a friendly at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. Three of the Yanks' goals were scored by forward Taylor Twellman, whose hat-trick was only the ninth in the history of the US national team.

Twellman, who plays his club ball for the MLS' New England Revolution, was making a push for inclusion in the 2006 World Cup side. Despite winning the MLS Golden Boot in 2005, he had scored only one previous international goal, in October 2005, since his call up to the senior team in 2002.

Although Twellman appeared to find his scoring touch, contributing another goal in a 3-2 friendly win over Japan in February 2006, he was not part of the side that traveled to Germany in 2006. That team managed to score only one goal--a 43rd-minute strike from Clint Dempsey against Ghana--and was eliminated from the tournament in the group stage. (They also benefited from an Italy own goal to draw 1-1 with the eventual champions.)

Twellman rejoined the national team for their successful 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup campaign and made his last appearance on 19 January 2008.

27 January 2001 - Damarcus' Debut

On 27 January 2001, speedy 18-year old midfielder Damarcus Beasley collected his first cap for the United States senior team in a 2-1 friendly win over China played in Oakland, California. Known primarily for his pace on the left wing, Beasley has also shown versatility, playing at forward and left back for the national team.

Beasley had previously been a standout for the U-17s, who reached the semifinals of the 1999 U-17 World Championship, with Beasley earning the Silver Ball award as the tournament's second most valuable player.

He is the only US international to play in four World Cups--2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014. In 2006, he provided the assist for the only goal scored by the Americans, a 43rd-minute equalizer by Clint Dempsey in the final group stage match against Ghana. Beasley put the ball in the back of the net against Italy, but the goal was disallowed after the referee determined that forward Brian McBride had screened the Italian goalkeeper from an offside position. 

In 2014, he played in all four of the US's World Cup matches, then retired from international football in December of that year with a career total of 121 appearances.  

16 January 2004 - It Looked Like A Good Idea At The Time

On 16 January 2004, DC United selected 14-year old Freddy Adu with the first pick of the MLS SuperDraft.

The pick was a formality, as DC has already signed Adu to a contract the previous November and acquired the first pick in a trade with the Dallas Burn. The deal was brokered by MLS in effort to keep Adu close to his hometown in Maryland. He became the youngest player drafted in MLS history, breaking the previous record set by Bobby Convey and Santino Quaranta, both drafted by DC United at sixteen.

Adu remained with DC for only three seasons before moving to Real Salt Lake in 2007, starting a journey that saw him play for another seven clubs over the next six years.

Other players drafted that year included future international stars Clint Dempsey (USA), taken eighth by New England, and Ramón Núñez (Honduras), picked sixth by Dallas.

11 January 2007 - They Don't Call Them Fulhamerica For Nothing

On 11 January 2007, Fulham announced the signing of Clint Dempsey, who later won back-to-back Player of the Season awards for the club.

Dempsey, then 23, had spent the first three seasons of his professional career with the New England Revolution, scoring 25 goals in 71 league appearances between 2004 and 2006. He had also become an important player for the United States, earning 23 caps during that period. That attracted the interest of Fulham manager Chris Coleman, who brought Dempsey in to play alongside his US teammates Brian McBride and Carlos Bocanegra.

Fulham paid New England a reported £2 million to sign Dempsey, making him the Premier League's most expensive American. He paid a near-immediate dividend with a goal against Liverpool that May that kept Fulham from being relegated.

In five and half seasons at Craven Cottage, he constantly improved his goal tally and was the club's top scorer in 2010-11 and 2011-12, with 13 and 23 goals, respectively, earning him Fulham's Player of the Year award for both seasons. His total tally reached 60 goals in 225 appearances, including 50 in the Premier League, a record for an American player.

In the summer of 2012, he moved to Tottenham in a £6 million deal, but stayed there for only one season before returning to MLS with the Seattle Sounders. In December 2013, he rejoined Fulham on loan from Seattle.

6 December 2011 - Keeping It In The Club

On 6 December 2011, Clint Dempsey became the Premier League's highest-scoring American with his match-winner against Liverpool.

Dempsey moved to the Premier League in January 2007 to play for Fulham, joining his compatriots Brian McBride and Carlos Bocanegra. He went on to make ten appearances that season, scoring a single goal. By the following season, he began to feature regularly, scoring six goals in 36 league appearances, though the club escaped relegation that year only by virtue of goal differential.

He continued to feature for them over the next three seasons, scoring 7, 7, and 12 goals as the club finished seventh, twelfth, and eighth. By the time they hosted Liverpool in December 2011, Dempsey had raised his league goal total to 36, matching the record for an American in the Premier League, which, coincidentally, had been set by McBride.

With the match scoreless deep into the second half, Liverpool's Jay Spearing received a straight red card in the 72nd minute, giving the hosts a man advantage for the remaining eighteen minutes. And they needed almost all of them, with Dempsey finally breaking the deadlock with an 85th-minute goal that also broke McBride's record.

Dempsey proceeded to raise his Premier League total to 50 before moving to Tottenham for the 2012-13 season, then added another seven before returning to the US in 2013 to play for Seattle.

31 October 2009 - The Top Flight Turns Red

On 31 October 2009, referees sent off a record eight people in the Premier League's nine games.

Liverpool were hit the hardest, losing defenders Jamie Carragher (pictured) and Philipp Degen. They were already down 2-1 to Fulham before Degen received a straight red for a 79th-minute foul on Clint Dempsey. He was followed three minutes later by Carragher, who drew a straight red of his own for fouling Bobby Zamora. Dempsey took advantage of the two-man advantage and scored Fulham's third goal in the 87th minute to set the final margin at 3-1.

The day's other red-card recipients included a pair of Trinidad and Tobago internationals, Kenwyne Jones for Sunderland and Jlloyd Samuel for Bolton, as well as Hull City's Giovanni, Everton's Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, Aston Villa's Carlos Cuellar, and West Ham's Radoslav Kovac.

Not surprisingly, none of the above teams won their games that day, though Everton and Aston Villa drew with each other, as did Sunderland and West Ham.

8 October 2011 - Klinsmann Gets Off The Mark

On 8 October 2011, the United States got their first win under new manager Jürgen Klinsmann, beating Honduras 1-0 in a friendly.

Klinsmann, whose previous managerial experience consisted of brief spells in charge of the German national team (2004-06) and Bayern Munich (2008-09), took the reins of the US team in July 2011. His first game was a 1-1 draw with Mexico, followed by losses to Costa Rica (0-1) and Belgium (1-0).

For his fourth match, the US hosted CONCACAF rivals Honduras at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, where light rain and high winds kept the crowd to a modest 21,170. But the home fans in attendance were rewarded with excellent defense from a back line consisting of veterans Steve Cherundolo and Carlos Bocanegra alongside newcomers Michael Orozco Fiscal and Tim Chandler. Tim Howard manned the posts and did well to deny Honduras an early lead before Clint Dempsey found the back of the net in the 36th minute.

Honduras came close to equalizing in the second half, but Howard again stood firm to preserve the 1-0 victory.

Since then, the United States have amassed a record of 25 wins, 6 draws, and 9 losses under Klinsmann, including a record 12-game unbeaten streak that saw them win the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

12 June 2010 - Dempsey Has To Get A Little Credit For Taking The Shot, Right?

On 12 June 2010, a highly-anticipated World Cup meeting between the US and England ended as a draw after a shocking error by one of the goalkeepers.

It was the first match of the tournament in Group C, which also included Algeria and Slovenia. England were heavy favorites, having come through UEFA qualification with ease by winning nine of their ten matches. The United States cut it a little closer, winning six and losing two of their ten games, but were still the top finisher in CONCACAF.

They met at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, where a vuvuzela-fueled crowd of almost 39,000 gathered for the occasion. England quickly took the lead with a 4th-minute goal from captain Steven Gerrard, who received the ball at the top of the penalty area, beat one defender, then slotted it home past keeper Tim Howard.

But their dream start was spoiled just before the break. In the 40th minute, US midfielder Clint Dempsey took a speculative left-footed shot from 25 yards out. England keeper Robert Green was well-placed to stop the low ball and appeared ready to cradle it up into his arms when it slipped by him to his right and rolled over the line. The English press dubbed the howler "the Hand of Clod."

England controlled most of the second half, but could not beat Howard and the game ended as a 1-1 draw. The US and England went on to finish first and second in the group, respectively, after a win and draw in their other two matches, then both were eliminated in the first knockout round.

9 March 2005 - A Pair Of Clints

On 9 March 2005, Clint Dempsey made his first start for the United States in a 3-0 win over Colombia.

The striker/midfielder had gotten his first cap in November 2004, but had yet to crack the starting line-up until the friendly against Colombia, played on his 22nd birthday. He was one of six players making their starting debut, including goalkeeper Jon Busch and defenders Richie Kotschau and Chad Marshall. Those three, along with substitute Nat Borchers, were playing with the national team for the first time. Dempsey was also one of two Clints on the pitch, joining

The US went up 1-0 with a 25th-minute goal from Dempsey's New England Revolution teammate, Pat Noonan, with an assist from another Revolution player, Steve Ralston. Ralston also assisted on the second goal, scored by Marshall in the 33rd minute. Clint Mathis completed the win with a third goal in the 66th minute.

While Dempsey did not score that day, he has since gone on to net a total of 31 goals in 92 appearances, making him third on the team's all-time scoring chart.

21 January 2012 - Deuce With A Triple

On 21 January 2012, Clint Dempsey became the first American to score a hat-trick in the Premier League, lifting Fulham to a 5-2 win over Newcastle.

A striker/midfielder, Dempsey--nicknamed "Deuce"--was in his sixth year with the London club, having joined them in January 2007 in a deal worth a reported £2M. He quickly established himself as a regular in the starting eleven, making over forty appearances in each of the next five seasons.

Midway through the 2011-12 season, Fulham were struggling in the bottom half of the table while Newcastle were challenging for a European spot. Newcastle won the first meeting 2-1 at St. James' Park back in August. So the odds were stacked against Fulham in the return fixture at Craven Cottage.

The match went according to form in the first half, with the visitors going up 0-1 after a Fulham error led to a 43rd-minute goal from Newcastle midfielder Danny Guthrie. But the hosts roared back in the second half, drawing level with a penalty kick from Danny Murphy in the 52nd minute, then going ahead with a pair of Dempsey goals (59', 65'). Another Fulham penalty, scored by Bobby Zamora in the 68th minute, stretched the lead to 4-1.

Newcastle's Hatem Ben Arfa closed the gap to 4-2 in the 85th minute, but Dempsey completed his hat-trick four minutes later to restore the three-goal lead and end the day at 5-2.

Dempsey went on to score a career high 23 goals in all competitions that season before moving to Tottenham in August 2012 for a reported fee of around £6M.

18 March 2010 - Juventus Get Their Fill Of Fulham

On 18 March 2010, Fulham rallied from a 4-1 aggregate deficit to beat Juventus in the Europa Cup, 5-4.

It was only Fulham's second appearance in a UEFA competition, but they beat several more experienced sides on the way to their meeting with Juventus, including group-stage wins over Basel (twice) and CSKA Sofia, plus a knockout round aggregate victory over Shakhtar Donetsk.

They lost their first leg against Juventus in Turin on 11 March, 3-1, presenting an uphill battle for the second leg at Craven Cottage. That hill became a little steeper in just the second minute, as Juventus striker David Trezeguet scored to extend their aggregate lead to 4-1.

Fulham got a lifeline seven minutes later with a goal from striker Bobby Zamora, then caught a break when Juventus defender Fabio Cannavaro received a straight red card for a cynical foul on Zoltán Gera in the 27th minute. Gera made Juventus pay in the 39th minute, scoring from two yards out to narrow the aggregate margin to 4-3. Shortly after the break, Gera brought Fulham level when the referee awarded a 49th-minute penalty for a Juventus handball. Then, in the 83rd minute, with extra-time looming, Fulham substitute Clint Dempsey unleashed an arcing shot from outside the penalty area that flew into the top far corner of the net. It was a remarkable goal and sealed the victory.

Fulham eventually reached the tournament final before falling to Atlético Madrid.

23 June 2010 - The Yanks Aren't Dead Yet

On 23 June 2010, Landon Donovan's 91st-minute goal saved the United States from a first-round elimination and won them the top spot in their World Cup group.

The US had opened the tournament with a 1-1 draw against England, followed by a 2-2 draw with Slovenia. In both matches, the Yanks had surrendered early leads and had to claw their way back to earn a point. Against England, they went down 1-0 to a 4th-minute goal from Steven Gerrard before Clint Dempsey's speculative shot in the 40th minute slipped through the hands of keeper Rob Green to level the sides. Against Slovenia, the US were down 2-0 at the break before goals from Donovan (48') and Michael Bradley (82') earned them the draw. They appeared to get a late winner when Maurice Edu struck the ball home off of a Donovan free kick, but the referee disallowed the goal.

Against Algeria in the group's last match, the US managed to avoid giving up an early goal, but struggled to find one of their own. Playing before a crowd of 35,827 at Pretoria's Loftus Versfeld Stadium, the teams battled to a scoreless draw for 90 minutes. Had that result stood, both the US and Algeria would have been eliminated.

But in the first minute of stoppage time, US keeper Tim Howard threw the ball upfield to Donovan, who raced forward and passed it to forward Jozy Altidore in the Algerian box. Altidore crossed the ball in for Dempsey, but the Algerian keeper, Raïs M'Bolhi, beat Dempsey to the ball and batted it away. It fell at the feet of a surging Donovan, who fired it home for the win.

In the Round of 16, the US again fell victim to an early goal and were eliminated by Ghana, 1-2 (aet).

29 January 2006 - Eight May Be Enough, But Nine Is Better

On 29 January 2006, the United States beat Norway 5-0 in a friendly at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. Three of the Yanks' goals were scored by forward Taylor Twellman, whose hat-trick was only the ninth in the history of the US national team.

Twellman, who plays his club ball for the MLS' New England Revolution, was making a push for inclusion in the 2006 World Cup side. Despite winning the MLS Golden Boot in 2005, he had scored only one previous international goal, in October 2005, since his call up to the senior team in 2002.

Although Twellman appeared to find his scoring touch, contributing another goal in a 3-2 friendly win over Japan in February 2006, he was not part of the side that traveled to Germany in 2006. That team managed to score only one goal--a 43rd-minute strike from Clint Dempsey against Ghana--and was eliminated from the tournament in the group stage. (They also benefitted from an Italy own goal to draw 1-1 with the eventual champions.)

Twellman rejoined the national team for their successful 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup campaign, but his most recent US appearance came on 19 January 2008 and he is no longer listed in the team's player pool.

27 January 2001 - Damarcus' Debut

On 27 January 2001, speedy 18-year old midfielder Damarcus Beasley collected his first cap for the United States senior team in a 2-1 friendly win over China played in Oakland, California. Known primarily for his pace on the left wing, Beasley has also shown versatility, playing at forward and left back for the national team.

Beasley had previously been a standout for the U-17s, who reached the semifinals of the 1999 U-17 World Championship, with Beasley earning the Silver Ball award as the tournament's second most valuable player.

He was key player for the US in both the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. In the latter, he provided the assist for the only goal scored by the Americans, a 43rd-minute equalizer by Clint Dempsey in the final group stage match against Ghana. Beasley put the ball in the back of the net against Italy, but the goal was disallowed after the referee determined that forward Brian McBride had screened the Italian goalkeeper from an offside position.

To date, Beasley has made 89 appearances for the national team, scoring 17 goals. He currently plays in Scotland for Rangers, after joining the Glasgow side in 2007. He previously played for the Chicago Fire (2000-04), PSV Eindhoven (2004-07), and Manchester City (on loan from PSV, 2006-07).

[2012 Update: Beasley left Rangers for Hannover 96 in 2010, then moved to Mexico to play for Puebla, his current club, one year later.]