(Insert snarky comment about MLSsoccer.com citing a story from The Mirror here.) There, it's out of the way, you don't need to do it in the comments.
But, we're gong to do it anyway, because the story in question — one involving a major player for the US national team — makes more than just a little sense from a Tottenham Hotspur perspective, and could have major implications for the national team in a World Cup year. If The Mirror is to be believed, US international Clint Dempsey could be on his way out of White Hart Lane this summer, after just one season with the North London club.
The report doesn't state that Spurs are looking to dump Dempsey at a bargain bin price or anything of the sort, but that they are "ready to listen to offers" for the midfield/forward hybrid that scored 12 goals in 43 appearances across all competitions in 2012-13.
Dempsey wasn't manager André Villas-Boas' first choice target last August when Dempsey moved from Fulham to Tottenham, but Dempsey's desire to play in the Champions League saw him land at the club that was closest to providing a path into the competition.
A year later now, and Spurs have fallen a single point short of a top-four finish. A player that doesn't fit exactly into Villas-Boas' preferred tactical style, which has very defined positions and roles for each player — something Dempsey has never quite had during his time with Fulham and Spurs — makes this potential exit from the club seem more than just a bit plausible.
Paramount to anything else, though — from a US national team perspective — finding a place to play regularly for Dempsey should be of the utmost importance in a European season leading right up to the 2014 World Cup.
