Landon Donovan feels Clint Dempsey deserves more credit for his goals
23 Jun 2017
USA international Clint Dempsey will have the chance to enter into the record books when his side take on Trinidad & Tobago in a key World Cup qualifier on Thursday.
The USMNT are in desperate need of a win to salvage their World Cup hopes and Dempsey could be the place on the focus on the night. The former Fulham man has bagged 56 goals for the national team, and a brace against Trinidad would see the retired Landon Donovan to become the all-time goal scorer for his nation.
Donovan, who had been a long-term servant in the MLS, is proud of holding the most goals scored for the USMNT, but feels that Dempsey deserves more credit as he has manage to reach his tally playing in much tougher circumstances that he did, he told Goal: "I'm very proud of the record, there's no question. But when you put it in context, I don't know the numbers but I know Clint has fewer penalty goals than I had. And you have to remember that he was overseas for a lot of years, so he didn't get to come in all the time and play friendlies in January against the Norwegian B team or Barbados. So in my opinion he's done it in more difficult circumstances and that makes it that much more impressive."
Dempsey has bagged his 56 goal tally in 133 caps when compared Donovan’s 57 in 157, but the latter still remains the hallmark of United States’ football success over the past decade. Dempsey has had more opportunities to feature upfront, but his chances have been limited of late with an irregular heartbeat restricting his appearance over the past year. With a sensitive health condition, Dempsey is unlikely to participate in every game, and the Gold Cup could be ideal to break the record, if he does not achieve the feat on Thursday.