Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey Proving Their Worth in EPL

Both Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey are on a stellar run of form currently for their clubs, Everton and Fulham respectively. Without a doubt, the Americans are two of the hottest players in the EPL right now.

That statement alone is just fascinating. Not many world football enthusiasts would have predicted that two Americans would play exceedingly well in arguably the toughest league in the world. And they’re not just playing exceedingly well—they’re performing at a world class level.

Historically speaking, Europe has been depicted as a mystical place for many footballers from the United States. Although tantalizing in nature, much difficulty exists when making the leap across the pond. However, the possible misfortune of sitting on the bench and not garnering ample play time adds to a dichotomy of allure and failure.

The prospective journey to “make it” in Europe is an arduous one at best, and quite honestly, up until the early 1990s, it just wasn’t entirely feasible nor simple for an American soccer player to succeed abroad. That notion partly stems from a certain prejudice that exists in regards to players from the United States.

Many nations don’t consider American players to be refined or have the “classical training” from a young age. Simply, the amount of development wasn’t nurtured early on compared to other places across the world.

The logistics of the game, in terms of an understanding of tactics and football acumen also is seemingly lacking. Along with that comes the lack of a competitive environment promoting technical ability and skill. The United States current youth set up simply doesn’t emphasize this from an early enough age. Jurgen Klinsmann and his staff are attempting to make the requisite changes at the youth level.

Whether these stigmas are unfair or not, many of these aspects contribute to the tough road that an American faces when attempting to establish a professional career in Europe.

During the last two decades, though, there have been major strides in terms of Americans plying their trade in England.

Goalkeeper Brad Friedel has established himself as one of the best in the EPL for years, and former striker Brian McBride at one time was even captaining Dempsey’s current club Fulham.

Former midfielder Claudio Reyna had an impressive spell at Manchester City, and others such as Joe-Max Moore, Kasey Keller, and Carlos Bocanegra had impressive stints in the EPL as well.

Currently, goalkeeper Tim Howard has cemented his status with Everton as a standout between the sticks. In addition, other Americans such as Zak Whitbread and Eric Lichaj are also on the books for English sides, while Tim Ream recently joined Bolton Wanderers from the New York Red Bulls.

With that said, the impact that both Dempsey and Donovan are currently making in the Premier League is unheard of for an American field player. Both Yanks are bucking those negative preconceived notions and are performing at an incredibly high clip.

Currently, Donovan is wrapping up his second loan stint for Everton FC. During this second spell, he’s taken the Merseyside club by storm with his scintillating play.

The talisman for United States soccer has displayed an impressive ability to manipulate the ball and get it to where it needs to be. He has demonstrated great precision when picking out his Everton teammates, while also delivering pinpoint passes that have sliced through opposing defenses. His crosses out from the wing have also been impressive.

His vision on the ball has been wonderful, as has his link up play. In addition to his deft passing, Donovan has also created multiple scoring chances via his propensity to drawing fouls in dangerous areas. His clever and well-timed forays into the attack have caused many problems for his EPL foes.

In 10 games for Everton during this loan spell, the 29-year-old has accumulated seven assists—which is the most by any player in the EPL in 2012. Since his return, Everton has tallied 11 goals in total.

Statistically speaking, that means Donovan has helped create 63 percent of all the goals Everton has scored during his return to England.

That’s quite astounding.

The Toffees have made a charge up the table, in large part thanks to Donovan. They’ve had impressive wins against the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea, and have gone 4-2-3 during Donovan’s stint, while going undefeated in the last six fixtures.

There is no denying the immense impact that Donovan has had on manager David Moyes’ club. While a permanent move might be on the cards, he will head back to the Los Angeles Galaxy when the two month loan ends.

Speaking about Dempsey, “Deuce” is without doubt Fulham’s most important player. Without the Texas native, I’d wager they would be sitting squarely in the relegation zone, with little hope of staying in the top flight.

Dempsey has carved out quite a nice niche for himself at the West London club. Since joining in 2007, the 28-year-old has established himself as a quality goal poacher.

Using toughness, grit and a nose for the goal, the man from Nacogdoches has been lethal. Dempsey doesn’t always look incredibly elegant when scoring, but he effectively gets the job done.

In this current campaign, he has tallied 16 goals in all competitions, with 11 of those coming in the last 13 games. Notably, he also ranks seventh in the Premier League in goals with 10. 

Dempsey’s versatility also makes him an extremely valuable player. During his career at Fulham, he has been employed as a winger, a trequartista and also as a target forward.

His excellent aerial ability always makes him a threat on set pieces and his intuitiveness in front of goal separates him from many strikers.

Dually, he goes a great job at maintaining possession and holding the ball up for teammates as they make their way up the pitch for a possible attacking chance.

Fulham has a history of Americans plying their trade at Craven Cottage in addition to Dempsey. Fellow (and in some cases former) United States internationals Bocanegra, McBride, Kasey Keller, Eddie Johnson, and Marcus Hahnemann were all on the books for the West London club at one point.

However, none have made the overall impact that Dempsey has.

This current Fulham team is incredibly reliant upon Dempsey’s goal output. In fact, this level of dependence has existed for multiple seasons. Some even argue that Dempsey’s overall brilliance is the main reason Fulham has been able to stay in the top flight.

Dempsey’s iconic stature among the Fulham faithful was furthered when he earned the club record for most goals scored in EPL matches.

Other impressive accolades for the United States international include being the first American to register a hat trick in an EPL match, and by becoming the most prolific American scorer ever in the EPL.

Simply put, Dempsey is cementing himself as one of the best American field players ever. He longs to play in the Champions League, so a move to a bigger club could conceivably happen in the next transfer window.

Although the respective sample size for Donovan is admittedly much smaller than Dempsey’s, both have had vast impact on their respective clubs.

In the past month, Donovan is leading the EPL in assists, and Dempsey is leading in goals scored. How astonishing is that? Two Americans are leading in the two biggest statistical categories in what many consider to be the best league in the world.

While it remains to be seen if Donovan can make a full time move across the pond, Dempsey will look to continue his superb form in the upcoming months.