Dempsey has one foot out door
He's eager to bolt Revolution
FOXBOROUGH -- Clint Dempsey's days are numbered with the Revolution. Though he is contracted to Major League Soccer through the 2007 season, there is a strong chance he will move on before that.
Dempsey yesterday reiterated his intention to go to a European club.
``It's a matter of time," Dempsey said while preparing for tonight's game against D.C. United. ``If the right situation comes along, I'll go, or I'll wait it out. This is the biggest thing in my life, the thing I have always dreamed of doing. There is no way in the world I am staying in the MLS, or coming back later in my career."
Dempsey had hoped to use his impressive World Cup performance as a springboard to Europe. A transfer fee of $2 million was offered to MLS from a Premiership club, but the league turned it down. Dempsey, who is contracted to MLS at $80,000 annually, became frustrated, and Charlton Athletic, one of the clubs that was interested, backed off from Dempsey as the team's priorities changed before the Sept. 1 transfer deadline.
The league also declined a $1 million offer from Celtic FC for the Revolution's Shalrie Joseph.
That type of interest indicates that neither player is likely to be in MLS much longer.
``You want to be proud of the league that developed you," Dempsey said. ``But it's bittersweet. I want to make enough money for my family and I want to play until I am 34 or 35. I will still play the game, but I will be married and have a family. I will not be going on the road, I won't do that to my family. I have sacrificed my whole life. And when my career is over, it's time to settle down.
``I want to accomplish all I have dreamed of as a kid, go over [to Europe] and show what I can do. I want to play in the Champions League and all the big games, but if you are on a big club and you are never playing, you need to go somewhere else.
``I don't mind starting off sitting on the bench, working and fighting for a spot with a top team, but if you are not in the lineup, you need to go somewhere else and play. I want to be there battling for a spot."
MLS's stated policy is to keep its domestic talent. The league also does not want to sell its domestic players short, so it does not seriously consider most transfer offers unless they are in the range of the nearly $4 million Eddie Johnson was offered by Benfica.
The league contracts players for four years, so if a player plays out the contract, no transfer fee is involved.
Dempsey earned $40,000 in his first MLS season, then received a raise to $80,000 this season, but after emerging on the international scene, he appears to be outpacing the league in terms of ambition.
If and when Dempsey and Joseph do depart, finding replacements will not be easy.
``Other leagues don't look at [MLS] as a top league, they don't watch it like we watch the EPL [English Premier League]," Dempsey said. ``Maybe that's a good thing, because we can develop players here.
``Where there's a will, there's a way. I came from nowhere and made it. And the sport just keeps growing and growing. There is always someone better than you coming along, someone who is going to come in and shake it up.
``Time will tell. It is going to be a situation where either kids bypass the MLS and just start going overseas or this will become one of the best leagues ever."
The Revolution (8-8-10, 34 points) have six games remaining in the regular season, four at home. They have had excellent stretch runs, reaching the Eastern Conference championship game four successive seasons.
``If I didn't see it happening, I shouldn't be out here," Dempsey said of the Revolution's ability to rally late in the season. ``Everyone believes they will win every game and everyone picks up their games at the end of the year.
``The playoff games are the only ones that really matter. I am going to fight for the team and try to end the season on a high note. The most important thing is to stay healthy and try to finish the season on a good note, and whatever will be will be." 