Many USMNT players, including Christian Pulisic, have been criticized for not participating in the Gold Cup this summer. However, Clint Dempsey was someone who always showed up for his country and made 141 appearances for the Stars and Stripes.
Since retiring, Dempsey has carved out a successful career in the media as a pundit on CBS. The United States soccer legend has been back on the grass recently, mentoring 18-19 male and female players for a partnership between the global health leader Abbott and Real Madrid.
Abbott and Real Madrid are organizing trials for young players, where participants will learn about how to live a healthy life. 11 players will be selected for the 'Abbott Dream Team,' which will travel to Spain to train at Real Madrid and learn from their coaches.
Speaking exclusively about the program to FanSided, Dempsey said, "It's always good to have these type of opportunities to realise that you can accomplish something great in your life, you just have to work hard. You've got to focus on things not only on the pitch, but off the pitch, like nutrition and sleep. And doing the right things and having something passionate to keep you out of trouble.
"The information that you get here is only going to help you try to get your game to the next level. If you don't make the team, there is still something you could have learned from this experience that you can take forward in life."
The former USMNT player is talking on a Zoom call from Dallas, which is in his home state of Texas, where the first trial is taking place. Tryouts for the program will also be held in Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. this year.
Dempsey's advice to the players he is mentoring is, "It is important to eat well, to take care of your body, and get proper sleep. Don't just do what everybody else is doing in training; sometimes you have to do a little bit extra. You do not want to have too much sugar in your body. But moderation, that's the biggest thing you can learn, every now and then it is still okay to have a cookie."
He knows all about clean living as he studied health and exercise science at Furman University. This is where the former player gained knowledge that he took with him in his professional career. He started his pro career with the New England Revolution before going on to play for Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur, and the Seattle Sounders.
Dempsey was impressed with the sports science, technology, and methods in English soccer. "In the Premier League, there was more budget. Not every team has so much money that they can afford to have such a deep squad. So they need to find a way to figure out how to keep their best players on the pitch for as long as they can. The teams I was a part of did a good job of that, Fulham and Tottenham."
You can hear many of Dempsey's opinions on soccer on CBS and the Men In Blazers podcast. The former midfielder is happy working in the studio and not on the sidelines as a coach. This role as a mentor will not tempt him into coaching. "I've got six kids, and that coaching lifestyle is difficult. You're not guaranteed where you're going to be. You can be moving from city to city. Right now, having kids with an age range of 16 to 2, I'm just trying to be there for them, week in and week out.
"Trying to be the parent that my parents were to me because they were driving three hours one way and three hours back twice a week so that I could chase my dreams. So that is what I am trying to do for them, to give them a chance to chase their dreams."