Clint Dempsey has faced many hardships over the past year, one of which could have sidelined him from soccer for the rest of his life. He was placed on the USMNT roster as a motivational spirit, more than anything else. He has proved to be much more valuable than that, though, putting on one of the most remarkable performances of his career on Friday night.
Masterful performance for the USMNT
Dempsey and young star Christian Pulisic had it going on from the start. In the 32nd minute, the veteran received his first scoring chance. Pulisic set him up nicely, and Dempsey was forced to fend off a scraping defender to put the ball into the net.
The goal gave the USMNT a 3-0 lead.
He had to wait until after halftime to get back on the scorecard. Again, he was the recipient of a good ball from Pulisic, this time in the 49th minute. Dempsey found the perfect seam in the defense and put the ball in the back of the net once more, making the score 5-0 for the USMNT.
He somehow still wasn't done. Just five minutes later, Jozy Altidore requested that Dempsey takes the team's free kick. He winded it past the keeper for his third goal of the day - a hat trick. With the feat secured, the USMNT closed out their 6-0 romp over Honduras.
Remarkable return to the field
On August 26, Dempsey was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat. He immediately had to cease his career with the MLS Seattle Sounders, who went on to win the MLS Cup in his absence.
There was a decent chance that he would never be able to take to the field again, out of fear that his ticker could cause his body to shut down.
Now, he appears set to play a significant role for the USMNT going forward. Before Friday night's dominant victory, the United States sat in the last place in their World Cup Qualifying group.
With the win, the team is in significantly better position than a day ago. They now sit in fourth place, just a point behind Panama, who they play on Tuesday. The team will make the World Cup if they finish in the top three of the group; they are in good hands if Dempsey could come close to replicating Friday's performance going forward.
