MIAMI SHORES, Fla. — World Cup qualifiers serving as a preparation matches?
That’s how Seattle Sounders forward Clint Dempsey sees the upcoming home-and-home World Cup qualifiers against Guatemala. There’s not only a spot in the final Hexagonal round of qualifying within grasp of the USA and a potential World Cup qualifying goal-scoring record for Dempsey (he’s currently tied with Landon Donovan for first all-time on the US charts with 13). But Dempsey is also looking to seal his spot for the summer tournament so many US fans are already looking forward to.
“You want to perform well before you get into Copa America,” Dempsey said at the first day of USMNT practice on Monday in reference to the matches vs. Guatemala. “It’s a great opportunity to do something great on our home soil.”
And he referenced the Copa America a second time in the media scrum only a few questions later when he was asked about the importance of the Guatemala matches.
“You can only control what you can and that means being in camp and trying to be available for selection," said Dempsey. "If you are playing well, you make your chances better for being selected to Copa America."
When the 2016 Copa America Centenario was formally announced in May 2014 — the special edition of the historic South American tournament celebrating 100 years — Dempsey immediately made clear his desire to participate in the competition that features legendary sides like Brazil and Argentina and which many expect to be the biggest soccer tournament on US soil since the 1994 World Cup.
"I'm excited and looking forward to the Copa America in two years' time, that being here on home soil, it will continue the growth of the game in the United States," Dempsey told ESPNFC.com back in July 2014. "But that's something that you have to be pushing for especially because you don't get many opportunities to play in competitions like that.”
“It's a tournament that I enjoyed watching, growing up as a kid ...,” he reiterated in January 2016. “To be able to play in a major tournament like that would be awesome, if it's meant to be. All I can do is work hard, make sure I put myself in position to be available for selection.”
And it probably should come as little surprise that the Copa America would mean so much to him. His 120 international appearances for the USA include World Cup matches, World Cup qualifiers, Gold Cup matches and the FIFA Confederations Cup.
But for the past five months, Dempsey’s future with the US team has appeared in jeopardy. The 33-year-old striker has 48 goals in international play, including in three World Cups. But Dempsey only played in one of the US team’s final six matches last year -- a loss to Mexico in the CONCACAF Cup in October. Then last November, head coach Jurgen Klinsmann left Dempsey off the roster for qualifying games against St. Vincent & The Grenadines and Trinidad & Tobago.
Klinsmann downplayed the snub in previous interviews with reporters, stating that his decision to bypass Dempsey had more to do with giving more playing time to younger players like Bobby Wood, Jordan Morris and Gyasi Zardes. Indeed, Dempsey’s departure was short-lived.
There he was on Monday on the Barry University soccer field, practicing with his US teammates.
“It feels good to be back,” Dempsey said. “It’s always an honor to represent your country.”
The Sounders forward will hope to be doing it again in nearly two months’ time when the USA kick off play in the Copa America Centenario “Group of Death” in a highly-anticipated match against Colombia on June 3 in Santa Clara, California. The US must then face Costa Rica and Paraguay in the competition.
But before any of that, there’s the obstacle that is represented by Guatemala, beginning on Friday, March 25 in Guatemala City at the Estadio Mateo Flores.
“It’s always a hostile crowd,” Dempsey said. “They support their team very passionately. You look forward to the challenge in those type of games by trying to figure out a way to manage it in the right way. That means being careful with cards and also taking the energy from the fans and using it to your benefit.”
