Before the ink even dried on his new $32 million contract, the debate had already started as to whether or not American superstar Clint Dempsey made the right decision by leaving the EPL’s Tottenham Hotspur FC, one of the top clubs in the world and signing with the Seattle Sounders of MLS. Let’s look at the pros and cons of Dempsey’s decision to take his game back to the states.
PROS
The move is undeniably a huge signing for the development of American soccer. MLS has started to draw more and more stars from overseas in recent years with legends like David Beckham and Thierry Henry playing for the LA Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls respectively. However, this is different due to the fact that Dempsey is American and arguably the greatest player the US has ever produced. We can do the Landon Donovan comparisons later. The point is, he’s not just “good for an American.” He’s actually good. He more than held his own in the EPL and proved that he can hang with the greatest players on the highest level of competition that the sport has to offer. In that sense, the argument that he should have stayed to enhance his credibility on the world stage is outdated. That credibility has already been established. His 57 goals over the course of 7 Premier League seasons are by far the most for an American player. And, at age 30, he’s still got several more years left in his physical prime so the timing makes sense. Seattle is also probably the best soccer market in the country right now, averaging over 40,000 fans per game. At the MLS level, Dempsey is a game-changer, the kind of player who can single handedly change the complexion of a match. He is expected to bring it on a level that Major League Soccer isn’t accustomed to, thus (hopefully) bringing up the level of play and subsequent exposure for the rest of the league. All these factors make the move look like a great option for our nation’s top player and American soccer as a whole.
CONS
While it’s true that MLS is on the rise, it’s also inarguably a noticeable step down from the European leagues. Many fans are disappointed that our best player will no longer be able to showcase his skills for the rest of the world on an ongoing basis. Also, how will the downgrade in competition affect his preparation as the US National Team prepares for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil? In Europe, he would constantly be battling on against the best of the best competition. This isn’t a knock on MLS; it’s just a fact that it doesn’t quite measure up as compared to the EPL. I think sportswriter Stefan Fatsis put it best when he was discussing the move in an interview on NPR.
“The interesting twist here is that Dempsey didn't consult with the U.S. national team coach, Jurgen Klinsmann, about the move,” Fatsis said. “Klinsmann said a few months ago that he had told Dempsey he hadn't done bleep in his career. There's always another level, Klinsmann said. MLS, definitely, is not that level.”
Precisely.
THE VERDICT
As with all sports debates, you can make the argument both ways and it’s impossible to definitively say how the move will ultimately turn out. All soccer-related arguments aside, we also can’t ignore the financial incentive. Seattle is paying Dempsey a LOT of money. We sometimes treat athletes as transcendent figures that should do what they do for their greater legacy and not for the cash. If we take this attitude with Dempsey, then we once again are presented with two sides of the coin. On one hand, his legacy would probably be served well by staying in Europe and becoming the best American goal-scorer that has ever lived and achieving that distinction by doing it on the Premier League stage. On the other hand, his legacy would also be solidified in the US by playing at home and giving American soccer as much exposure as it can get and continuing the task of convincing other great players that our country is a viable place to showcase their skills. At the end of the day, Dempsey is a man with a job and it’s his prerogative to play wherever he wants in order to make the most money for what he’s doing. The greater implications of the move remain to be seen but no matter what your opinion is, it’ll be fun to see how this turns out.
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