Having not played with Team USA through the fall and winter, Clint Dempsey will return to international action. Jurgen Klinsmann added the veteran for the U.S. Men's National Team's World Cup qualifier against Guatemala on Friday.
Though Dempsey is about the age Landon Donovan was when Klinsmann fazed him off the USMNT, his addition to the roster is a clear sign the coach believes his team captain has plenty left in the tank. Dempsey's 48 international goals are second in U.S. history only to Donovan.
Klinsmann held Dempsey off the roster for two qualifiers in Nov. in order to give some of his younger players more time on the field. But playing in Guatemala in a World Cup qualifier, Klinsmann wanted his most seasoned starter on the field.
"Having Clint Dempsey back is very, very important for us as well. He's a tremendous goal scorer and when we play teams like Guatemala, you need to figure out ways to score just one or two goals that make the difference," he said. "Clint is a guy that can get that done. We are happy to have him back in our group. He started well in the CONCACAF Champions League with two goals, but he hasn't scored yet in MLS. Hopefully he will score with us before he goes back to MLS."
Dempsey is not the only USMNT veteran added to the roster ahead of Friday's game, as forward Jozy Altidore, midfielder Michael Bradley and goaltender Tim Howard reported to Miami this week for camp. Klinsmann's experienced roster is built to go into another country, where crowds tend to be revved up even for non-tournament matches.
"You can really feel that home-field advantage," said Dempsey, who leads all USMNT players with five goals in his career against Guatemala. "It's always a hostile crowd. They support their team very passionately. The trick is to try to get as many points as you can from away games."
But Klinsmann is not expected to lean too heavily on his veteran leadership, indicating he intends to feature younger players like John Brooks and Bobby Wood.
"We're excited about this roster going into Guatemala because a couple of players are back in the picture who are healthy again, like Geoff Cameron and Alejandro Bedoya, which is very, very crucial for us," Klinsmann said. "Some players for months have been playing at a very high level, like John Brooks, for example, and Fabian Johnson and Bobby Wood scoring goals in Germany. This is exciting because you want them to make a mark on their team."
