Filed under: English Premier League, U.S. Men’s National Team
U.S. national team midfielder Clint Dempsey joined in the fun Wednesday as Fulham thrashed fourth-division Port Vale, 6-0, in the second round of the English League Cup, scoring the final goal. It was Dempsey’s first tally since his long-range strike eluded England goalkeeper Robert Green in the first game of the World Cup.
Contested in the pouring rain at Fulham’s London home, Wednesday’s game was already pretty much in hand (4-0) when Dempsey entered at the start of the second half. He forced a save from the Port Vale goalie just 90 seconds later, and in the 64th minute, according to the club’s Web site, “cheekily” tried to reproduce his famous chip against Juventus in last season’s UEFA Europa League round-of-16.
In the 66th minute, Dempsey drew a foul and teammate Bobby Zamora dispatched the ensuing free kick, giving the Cottagers a 5-0 advantage. Dempsey’s personal assault on the Port Vale goal continued. He took another shot in the 68th, then finally found the net in the 70th. Fulham said the Texan exchanged passes with midfield teammate Zoltán Gera “before hammering an unstoppable effort into the net” from 25 yards.
Not content with a half-dozen up on the scoreboard, Dempsey took three more shots over the next 20 minutes.
Fulham will visit promoted Blackpool in a Premier League game on Saturday and will return to League Cup action next month.
Dempsey has featured in each of Fulham’s three games this season but has yet to play 90 minutes. Perhaps that’s a function of World Cup fatigue or the inevitable tinkering by a new coach, Mark Hughes, who wants to get a sense of everything he has at his disposal. Fulham is 0-0-2 in the Premier League.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Today on the Internet: Ladies, if you date a man who is into movies, take a look at these Movies for Him for Valentine’s day.
Thu, Aug 26, 2010
World Cup Headlines