Stars, stripes and unfulfilled potential: Clint Dempsey’s concerns over the USMNT heading into its home World Cup

It has not been the easiest of times supporting the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) for former captain Clint Dempsey. After crashing out of the group stage at last summer’s Copa América, the US was stunned by Panama at the CONCACAF Nations League and then lost to north-of-the-border rival Canada in the third-place match. Mauricio Pochettino’s record since he took over the reins as head coach in September 2024 makes for difficult reading: five wins in eight matches with no draws and three defeats – those victories, though, coming against teams ranked well below the US in the FIFA rankings. So, how concerned is the ex-Premier League forward on a scale of one to 10? “I’m probably like a six or seven right now” Dempsey tells CNN Sports. “We’re the first host country to not get out of Copa América in the group stage and the way that we lost CONCACAF Nations League (is concerning, but) I still believe in this team, and they have a lot of quality, and I think they can turn things around, especially with the coach Pochettino being in charge and what he did at Southampton and Tottenham.” While Dempsey has faith in the team’s ability to get back on track, he recognizes some players might feel unsettled after the Argentine manager’s recent interview where he revealed a desire to manage Spurs again one day. “I’m not in the dressing room, but at the end of the day, like when I was growing up, my dream was always to represent my country, it didn’t matter who the manager was. “It is unfortunate that there might be question marks around (Pochettino), but at the end of the day, it’s on the players to go out there and perform and represent their country and take pride in that,” Dempsey adds, speaking as an ambassador for American Airlines, an official partner of next year’s World Cup. Fighting for the badge Joint USMNT top scorers Dempsey and Landon Donovan have not shied away from criticizing the current crop of players publicly. They’ve even gone so far as questioning squad members’ commitment to the US badge. Dempsey recognizes his critiques come with an asterisk; the last time he played for the USMNT was a nightmare 2-1 loss to Trinidad and Tobago that resulted in the US failing to qualify for a World Cup for the first time since 1986. “I’ve been a part of failures. I mean, 2018, we didn’t qualify for the World Cup. It was a huge failure. It was a huge step backwards in the wrong direction, and all you can do is what the players did.” That failure triggered the influx of many of today’s squad with only Christian Pulisic and Tim Ream remaining from the team that was humbled at the hands of the Caribbean nation. It was that wave of new talent and fresh faces that left some fans calling them “The Baby Eagles.” The team now boasts a plethora of players who ply their trade at European clubs and who experienced the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup together. “They fought hard. They qualified for the World Cup (in Qatar). They performed well in the last World Cup, got out of the group, and it looked like a team that was starting to build towards something. But since that World Cup, it looks like we’ve kind of taken another step back. “There’s been players who are doing really well in Europe. You got Antonee Robinson at Fulham, who’s having a great season. You have Christian Pulisic, AC Milan, who’s having a great season. You have players like Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie. “I want people to fight for each other. I want there to be competition for spots in the team and maybe things need to be shaken up a little bit in terms of who that starting 11 needs to be,” he tells CNN. While household names abound, the USMNT’s historically deep squad no longer exists and a quick fix is difficult. “I think when you look back at the history of US men’s national team, you normally had a goalie that was playing consistently week in and week out in Europe, whether it was Brad Friedel, Kasey Keller or Tim Howard. That’s not the case for us at the moment. “(Also) when you think back, we had a number 9 that was solidified (at) that position and could score goals. We don’t really have that in our team at the moment.” While the Texas native hasn’t been afraid to voice his concerns, he does, however, push back on the idea that Pulisic’s captaincy is one of the problems. The AC Milan winger has increasingly faced scrutiny that he may not be the right type of leader for the Stars and Stripes. Former manager Gregg Berhalter preferred to rotate the captain’s armband among a leadership group – something that came under scrutiny as performances dipped before his dismissal. And despite Pulisic’s “Captain America” nickname, Tyler Adams was ultimately named captain for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Dempsey, however, sees the merits in multiple locker-room leaders: “I think the team is not just one person who is a leader. I think there’s multiple people on that team that are leaders.” He compares the current debate to his experiences at the 2014 Brazil World Cup, saying, “Tim Howard was on that team, and even though I was a captain, I saw him as one of the captains. He was one of the leaders as well, so it takes more than one captain to kind of step up and get everybody on track.” ‘It’s not all doom and gloom’ Despite lethargic performances against the likes of Panama, Canada and traditional rival Mexico, Dempsey believes the biggest problem facing the USMNT in the run-up to the 2026 World Cup is its strength of schedule. “I mean, Copa América, that’s a big competition… and no disrespect to the CONCACAF Nations League, but it’s kind of a new tournament that’s been made up in the last few years. “I think the Nations League is kind of hurt. Around the world in terms of even, you know, the European Nations League, it’s just the same teams playing each other over and over again. So (for) me as a fan, I think there would be more excitement around seeing other teams.” No need to start panicking yet, though, USMNT fans. Despite the laundry list of concerns – mentality and passion, Pochettino’s potentially wandering eye, a lack of an elite goalkeeper and center forward, and the strength of opponents – Dempsey is adamant “it’s not all doom and gloom.” “There’s quality in the side; it’s just getting the best out of them. And when your back’s against the wall, just kind of fighting for each other.”