Clint Dempsey Becomes 1st American to Record Hat Trick in EPL

Clint Dempsey became the first American to record a hat trick in the English Premier League after his performance against Newcastle on Saturday, according to Yahoo! Sports.

Fulham was down at the half, but Dempsey prompted the comeback with three second-half goals to finish the day.

The comeback began with Dempsey scoring in the 59^th minute to give Fulham the lead. He scored six minutes later to increase the lead to two goals. Finally, Dempsey finished the day in the 89^th minute to record the first ever hat trick for an American in the Premier League.

He has a career-best 15 goals this campaign.

What an achievement this is for Dempsey. He has definitely been formidable in a great league for years now but his performance on Saturday pushed him to another level. Not only did he score a hat trick after being down at the half, but he did it against the sixth best team in the EPL.

Fulham currently sits with 26 points, eight points from relegation. Prior to their game on Saturday, Fulham were just five points from the bottom three. This was a big victory.

American soccer players have received plenty of criticism throughout the years but they have shined in recent weeks. Tim Howard continues to do well as a goalkeeper and Dempsey continues to prove he can play with the best.

For years now fans of United States soccer have claimed Landon Donovan as America’s best player, aside from Howard. I think that it is easily Dempsey given what he has done in one of the best leagues in the world.

He proved it again on Saturday.