After weeks of speculation and reports, the Seattle Sounders announced on Tuesday that forward Clint Dempsey will go on loan to his former club Fulham FC, of the English Premier League.
The deal is for two months, meaning Dempsey is scheduled to return to Seattle in time for the Sounders' opening match of the 2014 MLS season on March 8 at home to Sporting Kansas City.
Fulham have struggled this season and currently sit in 19th place in the EPL table. They recently sacked manager Martin Jol and replaced him with longtime Manchester United assistant Rene Meulensteen.
Before signing with the Sounders in August, Dempsey spent nearly seven years in the EPL, including the five and a half seasons with Fulham between 2007 to 2012. During that time, the club was nicknamed "Fulhamerica" by US national team fans in honor of all the Americans to feature for the club. In total, seven Americans have suited up for the Whites, and at one point, the club had five American players on its books, including Dempsey, Brian McBride, Eddie Johnson, Carlos Bocanegra, and Kasey Keller (as well as longtime MLSer Simon Elliott).
But Fulham have not had any Americans on the roster since Dempsey departed for Tottenham Hotspur in the late summer of 2012.
During his stint at Craven Cottage, Dempsey scored 60 goals in 225 appearances in all competitions. He had a career high 17 goals in the 2011-12 season. His most famous goal came in a Europa League match against Juventus in March 2010, an audacious chip (video below) that won the aggregate series and helped Fulham on their way to that year's final, where they lost to Atletico Madrid. It was voted by the fans as Fulham's best goal since they joined the Premier League in 2001.
Dempsey will be available for the Cottagers after the January transfer window opens. His first match could come January 1, when Fulham are at home against West Ham.
