Why Clint Dempsey Could Thrive at AC Milan

Let’s get one thing straight, before we go any further. Up to this point, it is only a rumor that Clint Dempsey may be headed to AC Milan, one of Europe’s oldest and most historically successful clubs.

Many people who just began watching Dempsey at the World Cup may wonder, “Uh, why would Milan want this guy? He got that one sort of flukey goal against England, but what else did he do?” The answer? A lot more than you think.

Dempsey is a player who adapts very well to what his coaches want him to do. With the New England Revolution in MLS, he was the go-to guy in Steve Nicol’s sides. He thrived. In England with Fulham, Dempsey blossomed.

It certainly took him about a season to make the transition between “go-to guy” and “creative guy,” but he pulled it off wonderfully, showing moments of sheer brilliance for Fulham’s recent European campaign. In case you haven’t already seen it, look for “Clint Dempsey vs. Juventus” on YouTube.

In South Africa, many expected Dempsey to show the nose for goal he had shown less than a month prior while with Fulham. And to start the tournament, that’s exactly what Dempsey did. His shot against England, really nothing more than a hopeful ball shot just to keep the ‘keeper honest, found the back of the net. Again, the predicted goal tally for Dempsey was raised.

But Bob Bradley had other needs on the pitch. He had Landon Donovan to provide the spark for the offense. What Bradley really needed was a player (in addition to Michael Bradley) to be a workhorse. A guy on the field who would run until his legs gave out and who would take a massive beating. Someone who would simply out-hustle and out-will the other guys.

So, what did Deuce do? Put his nose to the grindstone and did what his manager asked. Through each of the next three games the US played, there were countless plays where Dempsey ran at defenders, competed for a header, or tracked back on defense and wound up having the living daylights knocked out of him.

Most players, including the likes of a certain Portuguese superstar, for instance, would have whined, complained, and pouted at treatment like this on the field.

Dempsey just got up.

That’s what makes him so well suited for the style of play in Serie A. The Italian league has one of the most physical brands of game on the planet. Players go in hard and complain even harder. Dempsey would be one of the few players in the league to simply play the game, and do so well. This would make him one of the best players in the league.

Milan’s midfield consists currently of Gattuso, Pirlo, Seedorf, Ambrosini, and Flamini.  Their ages, in respective order, are 32, 31, 34, 33, and 26.  Simply put, AC Milan’s golden generation of Italian midfielders is aging rapidly. Adding in a player with Dempsey’s work rate and relative youth would be a major upgrade.

Dempsey’s goal against Juventus is yet another reason why he would fit in well in Serie A; he’s a breath of fresh air. The Italian leagues are notoriously physical, and many players work within those bounds and lose a good deal of creativity. Dempsey’s goal against Juventus showed the footballing world that creativity and taking a chance will work against the biggest clubs. 

Many “creative” players have found it difficult to play in Italy simply because of the game’s physicality. As discussed above, dealing with crunching tackles is nothing new for Dempsey, so there is no reason he shouldn’t be able to find a way to thrive in Milan.

Last, but certainly not to be overlooked, would be Dempsey’s familiarity with one of his new would-be-teammats; Oguchi Onyewu. Gooch’s transfer to Milan after the impressive Yank run in the 2009 Confederations Cup has helped pave the path for Americans to move to Italy. Dempsey’s familiarity with Gooch, built strong over the last few years, would undoubtedly help ease Dempsey’s transition to a very new setting.

Whether or not this transfer happens, Dempsey’s profile has risen to new heights, and he certainly has some very interesting opportunities available to him should he want to take the chance.