Clint Dempsey tells U.S. players to savor World Cup experience: USMNT legend implores "leave it all out there"
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Clint Dempsey tells U.S. players to savor World Cup experience: USMNT legend implores "leave it all out there" originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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As the U.S. men's national team embarks on its journey at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the team hopes to rewrite the history of soccer in the United States.
That's something Clint Dempsey knows a thing or two about. As the joint-leading career international goal-scorer in USMNT history, Dempsey changed the course of the sport in his home nation. His exceptional and unparalleled career is the reason so many Americans came to enjoy soccer.
That is the same opportunity afforded to the 2026 USMNT squad, who have the chance to electrify the national fanbase and jumpstart a new generation of supporters, players, and other interested parties, aiming to raise the prevalence of the sport in a country where soccer is far from the most popular.
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So, what's something Dempsey learned in his extensive World Cup experience he wished he knew going into it? The Sporting News asked the U.S. legend what valuable words of wisdom only Clint Dempsey could give to the current generation of players heading into this for the first time.
He refused to do it.
"Nothing," Dempsey said when asked what he wished he could tell himself going into his first World Cup in 2006. "You don't want to know something going into it. That takes away the surprise and the experience."
It was a response perfectly emblematic of Dempsey, known as a player oozing swagger, a star who wanted to do things his own way, untainted by the experiences or personalities of others.
In a way, it was the ideal piece of advice for this USMNT group, one which features a host of incredibly talented players but, when brought together, lacks an identity.
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"I think with anything, you go out there with open eyes and control what you can control and make the most of it, and I feel like I did that in the three World Cups I was a part of," Dempsey said.
Dempsey was famous for writing his own story across his illustrious USMNT career, and he wants the current squad to do the same. Because of that, he doesn't want to give the players any advice that might tarnish their own unique adventure.
The ex-Fulham star was always himself to a fault, and to him, nothing is more valuable than the freedom of each player and each squad to do just that.
"You just have to go out there and make the most of it," Dempsey said. "Control what you can control, and don't come back into the locker room looking yourself in the mirror saying, 'man, I should have done this, should have done that.' Do it.
"Take risks, take chances, and leave it all out there."
It's not like a retired Dempsey is shy about giving advice. He has, in fact, dedicated a large amount of his time towards fostering good habits amongst the next generation of soccer talent across the United States. Dempsey is now in his second year traveling around the country with the Abbot Dream Team as he runs tryouts at various U.S. epicenters.
The kids are hoping to impress Dempsey and the Abbot team enough to be selected for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Spain to spend a week training at Real Madrid, where they'll learn the latest advancements in sports health and nutrition to help them gain a deeper understanding of their bodies and achieve peak performance.
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"I'm from the same area that you are," Dempsey said of the knowledge he's passing on to the kids in attendance at one particular tryout in Houston, Texas. "If I can do it, you can do it. I think it's important for people to believe, and when you do more things like this, especially having a World Cup to look forward to this summer, where people can be really close to something that's bigger than themselves, it seems more achievable."
While Dempsey says he would have loved to experience a World Cup on home soil, he also believes that the USMNT enters the 2026 FIFA tournament at a slight disadvantage, not having to qualify thanks to its status as a co-host.
"The trust comes from the backs-against-the-wall situations that you have in qualifying for a World Cup," Dempsey said. "It's a good thing they didn't have to do it in a sense that there was no pressure and stress, but also it was a bad thing because you weren't really tested. You didn't have that back-against-the-wall moment or must-win situations."
Still, to be successful, Dempsey believes the USMNT must face challenges this summer in its own way, developing an identity of its own, the players being themselves.
Therefore, heading into the World Cup, all Dempsey can do — all he wants to do — is watch, and analyze, and be a fan.
He has no advice for the current USMNT players, because that's the best advice he can give: not to give any. He hopes the 2026 squad writes its own history, not someone else's.