Barbuda

Geography
Location	Caribbean Sea
Coordinates	17°37′N 61°48′W / 17.617°N 61.8°W / 17.617; -61.8Coordinates: 17°37′N 61°48′W / 17.617°N 61.8°W / 17.617; -61.8
Archipelago	Leeward Islands, Lesser Antilles
Area	160.56 km2 (61.993 sq mi)
Highest elevation	38 m (125 ft)
Highest point	Highlands
Country
Antigua and Barbuda
Largest city	Codrington (pop. 1,252)
Demographics
Population	1,638 (as of 2011)
Density	10.2 /km2 (26.4 /sq mi)

Barbuda is an island in the Eastern Caribbean, and forms part of the state of Antigua and Barbuda. It has a population of about 1,638 (at the 2011 Census), most of whom live in the town of Codrington.

Location[link]

Barbuda is located north of Antigua, in the middle of the Leeward Islands. To the south are the islands of Montserrat and Guadeloupe, and to the west and north west are Nevis, St. Kitts, St. Barts, and St. Martin.

History[link]

The Ciboney were the first to inhabit the island of Barbuda in 2400 BC, but Arawak and Carib Indians populated the island when Christopher Columbus landed on his second voyage in 1493. Early settlements by the Spanish and French were succeeded by the English, who formed a colony in 1666.

In 1685 Barbuda was leased to brothers Christopher and John Codrington, who had founded the town of Codrington. The Codrington family produced food on their land in Barbuda, and also transported slaves as labour for their sugar plantations on Antigua. There was more than one slave rebellion at Codrington during the 1740s, during which slaves rose against managers. All the slaves were freed in 1834.

Barbuda was for a time used by the Codringtons as a "nursery" for slaves.^[1]

In 1719, Codrington and the island of Barbuda had its first census (of both people and livestock), conducted by Sir William Codrington (1715–1790).

The first map of Barbuda was made in the second half of the eighteenth century. At that time there were substantial buildings in the Highland area, a castle in Codrington, a fort at River, now known as the Martello Tower, and houses at Palmetto Point, Coco Point, and Castle Hill. The map shows eight catching pens for holding captured runaway slaves, indicating that this was a serious problem. There were several defensive cannon gun battery units around the island perimeter. There was a large plantation in the Meadow and Guava area and another large plantation in the Highlands area.

Points of interest[link]

Barbuda is home to the Frigate Bird Sanctuary, which is located in the Codrington Lagoon. Other points of interest include Highland House (the 18th century home of the Codrington family) and the Indian Cave, which contains ancient Amerindian petroglyphs.

Tourism[link]

Barbuda's climate and geography is conducive to tourism. Many tourists are attracted by the island's beaches. Activities include swimming, snorkeling, fishing, scuba diving, hiking, bird watching, and golfing. Several resorts are located on the island.^[2]

Geography[link]

The total land area is 160.56 km². The capital and largest city is Codrington, with an estimated population of 1,000. The island is mostly coral limestone island with little topographical variation. The highest point is only 38m above sea level.

Climate[link]

The climate is classified as tropical marine which means that there is little seasonal temperature variation. In January and February, the coolest months, the average daily high temperature is 81°F (27°C). While in July and August, the warmest months, the average daily high is 86°F (30°C).

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Category:Barbuda

Caribbean portal

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Barbuda.

• Official site

v t e Parishes and dependencies of Antigua and Barbuda Parishes Saint George Saint John Saint Mary Saint Paul Saint Peter Saint Philip Dependencies Barbuda Redonda

Hérculez Gómez

Gomez as a player for the Kansas City Wizards
Personal information
Full name	Herculez Gomez Hurtado
Date of birth	(1982-04-06) April 6, 1982 (age 30)
Place of birth	Oxnard, California, United States
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Playing position	Forward
Club information
Current club	Santos Laguna
Number	16
Youth career
2001–2002	Cruz Azul
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2002	San Diego Gauchos	17	(17)
2002–2006	Los Angeles Galaxy	53	(16)
2003	→ Seattle Sounders (loan)	17	(1)
2004	→ San Diego Sockers (loan)	10	(5)
2007–2008	Colorado Rapids	37	(6)
2008–2009	Kansas City Wizards	34	(1)
2010	Puebla	15	(10)
2010–2011	Pachuca	29	(5)
2011	Estudiantes Tecos	16	(7)
2011–	Santos Laguna	8	(5)
National team‡
2007–	United States	10	(3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of March 25, 2011. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of February 17, 2012

Hérculez Gómez Hurtado (born April 6, 1982) is an American soccer player who currently plays for Santos Laguna in the Primera División de México and the United States men's national soccer team.

Early life[link]

Gómez, the oldest of five children, was born in Oxnard, California^[1] to Mexican-American parents.^[2] He grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada,^[3] and played on the soccer team at Las Vegas High School.^[4]

Professional[link]

Gómez started his soccer career in 2001 with Cruz Azul of the Mexican First Division on their second-division squad, and transferred to second-division team Aguilas Blancas de Puebla later that year. The following season, he returned to first-division soccer with Durango. However, playing opportunities were scarce for him there, so he left, thinking he would quit soccer, but instead he joined the San Diego Gauchos of the USL D-3 Pro League in 2002, where he excelled, scoring seventeen goals in seventeen appearances. The Los Angeles Galaxy staff noticed him during a friendly match and he joined the team in September.^[5]

Gómez broke his foot while on loan to the Seattle Sounders of the United Soccer Leagues, and recovery took a long time. When he was able to play again, he joined the now-defunct San Diego Sockers of the Major Indoor Soccer League.^[6] He returned to the Galaxy for the 2005 season on a developmental contract, but played well enough to make it to the first team. His big chance came when Landon Donovan was called up to the national team. Donovan's absence gave Gomez many more starts at striker, and he was able to shine as a breakout goal-scorer.^[7]

He scored the game-winning goal in the 2005 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final, then helped the Galaxy to a rare Cup 'double' when they also won the 2005 MLS Cup. Gómez ended the 2005 season with eighteen goals scored for the Galaxy (in all matches), and was voted by the local L.A. media as the year's Most Valuable Player.^[8]

Early in the 2006 season, Gómez was moved to the bench with then-coach Steve Sampson. Sampson used Gómez as a midfielder to see if he could score goals running at defenses. After Sampson's firing, however, Gomez scored several times under new coach Frank Yallop, and ended that season with five goals.^[9]

On December 1, 2006, Gómez was traded to the Colorado Rapids along with Ugo Ihemelu in exchange for Joe Cannon. He scored the first goal in the history of Dick's Sporting Goods Park in his first game for Colorado, a 2-1 win over D.C. United on April 7, 2007. Gomez tore his ACL during training with the Rapids in September of that year and was forced to undergo a lengthy recovery process.^[10]

On September 3, 2008, Gómez was traded to Kansas City Wizards in exchange for allocation money, a fourth round 2009 MLS SuperDraft pick and a first round 2009 MLS Supplemental Draft pick. His first goal for the Wizards was an injury time winner against San Jose Earthquakes, a must win game in their 2008 play-offs push.^[11]

Gómez signed with Mexican club Puebla F.C. in January 2010.^[12] He scored ten goals in the 2010 Mexican season^[13] to tie for the lead for most goals; this feat marked the first time any American player led a foreign league in goals.^[14]

Estudiantes Tecos[link]

Pachuca placed Gómez, along with its entire squad, on the transfer list.^[15] During the transfer window he moved along with teammate Braulio Luna to Estudiantes Tecos.^[16] Gómez scored his first goal for his new club in the second game of the Mexican Apertura season, coming in a 2-1 loss to San Luis.^[17] Following this good performance, Gómez was included in the starting lineup for his side's next game against Club América at the Estadio Azteca. Gómez played the full 90 and hit the post with one shot, his side won 2-1 and gained their first points of the season.^[18]

On August 19 Gómez started from the bench as his side faced former club Pachuca. Pachuca went up 1-0 in the 22nd minute but Tecos equalized in the 49th. Gómez came off the bench in the 67th minute and led his side to a 2-1 win, striking it past the onrushing goalkeeper after receiving a nice through ball.^[19]

Santos Laguna[link]

Cash-strapped Estudiantes Tecos were forced in to selling Gomez to league rivals Santos Laguna, who Gomez joined on December 10, 2011.^[20] Since joining Santos Laguna, Gomez has been in fantastic form having scored 11 goals in his first 12 appearances for the team across all competitions.

With Santos Laguna's 2012 Clausura victory, Gomez became the first player to have won both the MLS Cup and the Primera División championship.^[21]

International[link]

Gomez was named to the United States roster for the 2007 Copa America, and earned his first cap as a second-half substitute against Argentina, with his first start coming against Colombia.^[22]

On May 11, 2010, Gomez was named to the U.S. national team's provisional 30-man 2010 World Cup roster. He scored a goal for the U.S. national team in a 4-2 friendly defeat to the Czech Republic on May 25, 2010. The next day he was named to the 23-man roster for the 2010 World Cup.^[23]

On June 5, 2010 he scored a goal for the U.S. National Team in a 3-1 win over Australia in the United States' final friendly match before the World Cup.^[24]

Gomez played in 3 out of the 4 games for the United States at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, including the round of 16 game against Ghana.

Gomez made his return to the national team in 2012, appearing in friendlies against Scotland and Brazil and scoring a goal against the latter on May 30.

International goals[link]

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
01.	May 25, 2010	Rentschler Field, East Hartford, USA	Czech Republic	2 – 2	2 – 4	Friendly
02.	June 5, 2010	Ruimsig Stadium, Roodepoort, RSA	Australia	3 – 1	3 – 1	Friendly
03.	May 30, 2012	FedEx Field, Landover, United States	Brazil	1 – 2	1 – 4	Friendly

Career statistics[link]

Club[link]

As of March 14, 2012.

International[link]

As of May 30, 2012.

Personal[link]

Herculez is the brother of MMA fighter Ulysses Gomez.^[25] He is of Mexican-American heritage.

Honors[link]

Club[link]

Los Angeles Galaxy[link]

• Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (1): 2005
• Major League Soccer MLS Cup (1): 2005
• Major League Soccer Western Conference Championship (1): 2005

Santos Laguna[link]

• Primera División (1): Clausura 2012

Individual[link]

Puebla FC[link]

• Primera División de México Scoring title: Bicentenario 2010

References[link]

External links[link]

• Herculez Gomez – FIFA competition record
• Herculez Gomez stats at Medio Tiempo.com (Spanish)
• Current Herculez Gomez News at followUSsoccer.com

United States squads v t e United States squad – 2007 Copa América 1 Howard 2 Wynne 3 DeMerit 4 Boswell 5 Feilhaber 6 Pearce 7 Califf 8 Gomez 9 Johnson 10 Davies 11 Gaven 12 Conrad 13 Bornstein 14 Olsen 15 Moor 16 Kljestan 17 Beckerman 18 Keller 19 Clark 20 Twellman 21 Mapp 23 Guzan • 25 Nguyen Coach: Bradley v t e United States squad – 2010 FIFA World Cup 1 Howard 2 Spector 3 Bocanegra (c) 4 M. Bradley 5 Onyewu 6 Cherundolo 7 Beasley 8 Dempsey 9 Gomez 10 Donovan 11 Holden 12 Bornstein 13 Clark 14 Buddle 15 DeMerit 16 Torres 17 Altidore 18 Guzan 19 Edu 20 Findley 21 Goodson 22 Feilhaber 23 Hahnemann Coach: B. Bradley

Clint Dempsey

Dempsey playing for the United States in 2011.
Personal information
Full name	Clinton Drew Dempsey
Date of birth	(1983-03-09) March 9, 1983 (age 29)
Place of birth	Nacogdoches, Texas, United States
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Playing position	Winger / Attacking Midfielder / Forward
Club information
Current club	Fulham
Number	23
Youth career
1998–2001	Dallas Texans
2001–2003	Furman Paladins
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2004–2007	New England Revolution	71	(25)
2007–	Fulham	184	(50)
National team‡
2004–	United States	83	(25)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:20, 17 May 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 21:00, 29 February 2012 (UTC)

Clinton Drew "Clint" Dempsey (born March 9, 1983) is an American association football player who plays for Fulham and the United States national team. He usually plays as a deep-lying forward.

Growing up in Nacogdoches, Texas, Dempsey played for one of the top youth soccer clubs in the state, the Dallas Texans, before playing for Furman University's men's soccer team. In 2004, Dempsey was drafted by Major League Soccer club New England Revolution, where he quickly integrated himself into the starting lineup. Hindered initially by a jaw injury, he would eventually score 25 goals in 71 appearances with the Revolution. Since 2007, Dempsey has played for Premier League team Fulham and has earned the club record for goals scored in Premier League matches.

Dempsey first represented the United States at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates. He made his first appearance with the senior team on November 17, 2004, against Jamaica; he was then named to the squad for the 2006 World Cup and scored the team's only goal of the tournament. Dempsey recorded the fastest goal in U.S. World Cup qualifying history by scoring after 53 seconds of an eventual 8–0 defeat of Barbados. In the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Dempsey scored against England, becoming the second American, after Brian McBride to score goals in multiple World Cup tournaments. Dempsey became the first American player to score a hat-trick in the English Premier League in the 5–2 win over Newcastle United in January 2012.^[2]

Youth[link]

Dempsey was born in Nacogdoches, Texas and, for much of his childhood, his family lived in a trailer park, where he and his siblings grew up playing soccer with the local children or anyone they could find. His older brother Ryan was offered a tryout for the Dallas Texans, an elite youth soccer club, and brought Clint, who was noticed and recruited while passing time juggling a ball on the sidelines.^[3] Dempsey became a standout on the team at an early age, but had to quit due to his family's time and money constraints as his eldest sister Jennifer was becoming a ranked youth tennis player.^[4] Several parents of his teammates with the Texans offered to assist the Dempseys with expenses and travel, allowing him to rejoin the club.

He went on to be the captain and high scorer of the Texans and was honored with the MVP of the Tampa Bay Sun Bowl tournament. Dempsey studied the play of Argentina's national team, especially Diego Maradona. Clint was heartbroken when the news came to Nacogdoches that Maradona would not be playing in the 1994 World Cup game played in the Cotton Bowl.^[5] He attended Furman University as a health and exercise major and a key player for Paladins soccer. In his three seasons at Furman, Dempsey started in central midfield for 61 out of 62 games and scored 17 goals.

Club career[link]

New England Revolution[link]

New England Revolution selected Clint Dempsey eighth overall in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft. In his rookie season, he started 23 of 24 matches scoring seven goals. Dempsey helped the Revolution to the Eastern Conference Finals and earned 2004 MLS Rookie of the Year Honors. In 2005, Dempsey contributed ten goals and nine assists in 26 games. He scored the game winning goal in the Eastern Conference Final on his way to an appearance in the MLS Cup Final. In 2006, Dempsey added 8 more goals, but missed significant time in the playoffs due to injury. He came on as a substitute in the MLS Cup Final, but the Revolution lost their second straight final, this time in a penalty shoot-out.

Fulham[link]

2006–07 season[link]

Dempsey training with Fulham in August 2009

In December 2006, English club Fulham offered MLS $4 million for the transfer of Dempsey, then the largest amount ever offered for an MLS player and became another American addition to the Cottagers roster.^[6][7] On January 11, 2007, he was granted a work permit from the Home Office as Fulham announced his signing on a long-term deal.^[8] This made Dempsey the most expensive US export to the Premier League in a deal worth a reported £2 million.^[9] He made his Fulham debut in a 1–1 home draw against Tottenham Hotspur on January 20, 2007.^[10] His FA Cup debut followed seven days later in a 3–0 home win over Stoke City.^[11] Dempsey scored his first goal for Fulham on 5 May as he struck the only goal of a 1–0 home win over Liverpool.^[12] This goal saved Fulham from relegation and effectively guaranteed their place in the top-flight for the following season.^[13]

2007–08 season[link]

On August 25, Dempsey scored his first goal of the 2007–08 season in a 2–1 away loss to Aston Villa.^[14] He followed this up by scoring in Fulham's next fixture in a 3–3 home draw against Tottenham on 1 September.^[15] Two weeks later, he opened the scoring in Fulham's 1–1 away draw against Wigan Athletic.^[16] These goals gave Dempsey three in as many games after Fulham manager Lawrie Sanchez's decision to convert Dempsey into a striker following an injury to compatriot Brian McBride.^[17] On September 29, Dempsey was involved in an aerial collision with John Terry during a 0–0 draw at Stamford Bridge which resulted in Terry being substituted.^[18] There was some suggestion that Dempsey used a deliberate elbow on Terry,^[19] however, he wasn't punished for the incident as referee Martin Atkinson didn't report it to the Football Association.^[20] On November 3, Dempsey scored during Fulham's 3–1 home win over Reading to secure just a second league win of the season.^[21] He scored his last goals of the season in a 1–1 home draw with Wigan Athletic and 5–1 away loss to Tottenham in December.^[22][23] In May 2008, Fulham announced Dempsey had signed a contract extension which will keep him at the club until the summer of 2010.^[24] Fulham beat Portsmouth 1–0 on the final day of the season to secure Premier League status for another year.^[25] He ended the season as Fulham's top Premier League goalscorer with six goals.^[26]

2008–09 season[link]

Dempsey scored his first goal of the 2008–09 season in a 1–1 away draw at Portsmouth on October 26.^[27] His first home goal of the season came in a 3–0 win over Middlesbrough on December 20.^[28] Eight days later he scored twice in the West London derby against Chelsea which included a last-minute equaliser in a 2–2 home draw.^[29] On February 24, 2009, Dempsey scored the first FA Cup goal of his career in a 2–1 home win over Swansea City in the fifth-round.^[30] His final home goal of the season came in a 2–1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers on March 11.^[31] Fulham came from a goal down to beat Manchester City 3–1 away from home as Dempsey scored two goals on April 12.^[32] For the second successive season, Dempsey ended as Fulham's top Premier League goalscorer joint with Andrew Johnson with seven goals.^[33] These goals helped Fulham secure a seventh-place finish in the Premier League, the highest in the club's history, and confirmed their qualification for the newly formed UEFA Europa League for the following season.^[34]

2009–10 season[link]

On August 13, 2009, Dempsey signed a contract extension to remain with Fulham through 2013.^[35] On August 20, he scored his first goal in European competition, in the newly formed Europa League, netting Fulham's second goal in a 3–1 win against Amkar Perm in the play-off round.^[36] On December 30, La Gazzetta dello Sport named Dempsey as one of the top eleven Premier League players of the season.^[37] On January 17, 2010, Dempsey suffered a suspected cruciate knee ligament injury in a 2–0 away defeat to Blackburn Rovers.^[38] On March 11, Dempsey returned, coming on in the last minute of Fulham's loss away to Juventus and then completed 72 minutes of their away loss to Manchester United in the league.^[39] On March 18, Dempsey came off the bench against Juventus in their second leg last 16 tie in the Europa League and scored the winner on a long chip shot. Fulham won the game 4-1 and this game awarded Fulham an award, as well as Dempsey receiving an award from his 'Wonderful' (Quote from the commentator on ESPN) goal.^[40] The Guardian suggested that the goal "might become the most famous goal in Fulham's history".^[41] On May 12, Dempsey replaced Bobby Zamora in the 55th minute of the 2010 UEFA Europa League Final, thus making history in becoming the first ever American to appear in a major European final. In the end, Fulham lost the match, as Atlético Madrid's Diego Forlán scored in the 116th minute of extra time, giving Atlético a 2–1 win.^[42] His performances throughout 2009–10 earned him the designation of Most Valuable Player among Americans in Europe by SoccerOverThere.com, among other sources.^[43]

2010–11 season[link]

Dempsey remained a regular starter, one of only five Americans in the Premier League to do so currently. On September 18, 2010, he scored an equalising goal on 56 minutes with a header against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park in the 1–1 draw and continue Fulham's undefeated streak in the Barclays Premier League.^[44] On October 2, he scored against West Ham United past Robert Green, the same keeper that he had scored against in the World Cup.^[45] He then continued his form by scoring two goals against Wigan Athletic on October 30 as Fulham ran out 2–0 winners.^[46][47] On January 22, Dempsey scored another double versus Stoke, putting Fulham temporarily out of relegation contention.^[48]

On March 19, Dempsey became the first American to score 10 goals in a Premier League season, beating Brian McBride's previous record of nine, also set while at Fulham in the 2005–06 season and 2006–07 season.^[49]

Clint Dempsey broke Fulham's Premier League goalscoring record by netting twice in a 3–0 victory over Bolton on April 27, 2011. He has scored a total of 33 goals for the team in the Premier League, topping both Brian McBride and Steed Malbranque, each with 32. With these goals, he scored 12 goals for Fulham in the 2010–11 season.^[50]

At the end of the season, Dempsey was voted Fulham player of the season by the Fulham fans and his 12 Premier League strikes meant he was the club's leading goalscorer for the campaign.^[51]

2011–12 season[link]

Dempsey marked his return to the first team by scoring a brace in the first leg of their Europa League play-off clash against Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk at Craven Cottage. Dempsey ended with two goals as Fulham ran out 3–0 winners, setting up a comfortable second leg in Ukraine.^[52] On December 5, 2011, Dempsey scored in the 85th minute to secure a 1–0 win against Liverpool at Craven Cottage.^[53] The goal propelled Dempsey to become the most prolific American goalscorer in the Premier League, passing Fulham legend Brian McBride.^[54] Dempsey scored his fifth Premier League goal of the campaign with a header in a 2–0 home win against Bolton on December 17, lifting his side six points clear of the drop zone.^[55]

In the club's West London derby against rivals Chelsea on Boxing Day, Dempsey scored the equalizing goal as the game ended in a 1–1 draw.^[56]. He then scored the first hat-trick of his career^[57] on 7 January 2012 against Charlton Athletic in their FA Cup Third Round game which ended in a 4–0 victory.^[58][59] On 21 January 2012, Dempsey scored another hat-trick against Newcastle while the game ended in a 5–2 win for Fulham^[60] and sent his goal tally in the Premier League to nine for the season.^[61] With his hat-trick against Newcastle, he became the first ever American player to score a hat-trick in the Premier League.^[62] Dempsey scored his 10th Premier League goal of the season, 16th in all competitions, in a 1-1 draw against former manager Roy Hodgson's West Brom on 1 February 2011.^[63] This recent run of good form has seen Dempsey play higher-up the field into an orthodox striker position. He "made" another goal in a 2-1 win against Stoke City on 11 February 2012. His 28th-minute shot hit the crossbar and was deflected by Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sørensen. It was therefore awarded as an own goal off the goalie. His form this season continued against Wolverhampton Wanderers where Dempsey scored twice in a 5-0 victory for Fulham. ^[64] On 08 March 2012, the day before Dempsey's 29th birthday, Fulham manager Martin Jol revealed that the club have opened talks with the American over a new three-year contract.^[65]

Dempsey scored his 14th and 15th Premier League goals of the campaign, bringing his tally to 21 in all competitions, in a 3-0 away win over Bolton Wanderers on 7 April, the first a free kick and the second a header.^[66] The strikes moved Dempsey past Louis Saha's record of 13 Premier League goals for the club in a single season.^[67] Dempsey finished fourth on the FWA Footballer of the Year list behind winner Robin van Persie and Manchester United pair Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes, who came in second and third, respectively.^[68] Dempsey became the first American to reach the milestone of 50 goals in the Premier League, with a stunning free-kick against Sunderland in the last home game of the season.^[69]

International career[link]

Dempsey training with the United States in April 2006

Dempsey first played for the United States national team at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates. He made his first appearance with the senior team on November 17, 2004, against Jamaica. He has frequently lined up as a striker due to his scoring threat and aerial ability, but his preferred and more normal role is on the wing. He won the highest individual honor in American soccer when he was named Honda Player of the Year for 2006, beating Fulham teammates Kasey Keller and Brian McBride in a poll of sportswriters. Dempsey received 237 points in voting by 207 sports journalists to claim the award.

On May 2, 2006, Dempsey was named to the U.S. roster for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He was the only American player to score a goal in the tournament^[70] with his equalizing goal in the Americans' eventual 2–1 loss to Ghana.

In the United States' opening 2010 World Cup qualifier, Dempsey recorded the fastest goal in U.S. qualifying history with a chest trap and sliding shot 53 seconds into a 8–0 defeat of Barbados. But thereafter, Dempsey experienced a dip in form leading some to doubt his first-choice status with the national team. However, Dempsey turned his fortunes around in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. In the final group stage match against Egypt, Dempsey scored a trademark diving header off a Jonathan Spector cross, making the final result 3–0. This, combined with Brazil's 3–0 victory against Italy in the other group match that was being played simultaneously, put the U.S. through to the semifinals.^[71] In the semi-final match against Spain, Dempsey scored to put the USA up 2–0 to send them to the finals. He was named the Man of the Match for his performance.^[72] Dempsey scored in his third straight game in the Confederations Cup Final against Brazil, redirecting a similar cross from Spector in the 10th minute to open the scoring.^[73] Following the loss, he was awarded the Bronze Ball as the tournament's 3rd best performer.^[74][75] He ended the World Cup qualifying campaign tied with Landon Donovan as the team's second top scorer, behind Jozy Altidore, with five goals in thirteen matches.

On June 12, 2010, Dempsey became the second American (after Brian McBride) to score in more than one World Cup when he scored the equalizer goal against England in the Americans' first game of the 2010 World Cup after the West Ham and English goalkeeper Robert Green made a major error. Dempsey's disallowed goal later in the tournament vs. Algeria in the group stage was very controversial. Dempsey was called offside, but the replay showed that he was most likely not offside. It didn't matter because later that game, his teammate Landon Donovan scored a late stoppage time goal to win the game 1–0.^[76]

During the 2011 Gold Cup, Dempsey played a key role in helping the U.S. advance to the finals. In the group stages he recorded a goal in a 2-0 win over Canada, and in the quarterfinals, Dempsey also scored a goal in a 2-0 win over Jamaica. In the semi-finals against Panama, who had shockingly defeated the U.S. 1-0 in the group stage, Dempsey scored the only goal to advance the Americans to the final. With a sliding touch Dempsey redirected U.S. Midfielder Landon Donovan's pass into the net.^[77]

On February 29, 2012, Dempsey scored the lone goal in an international friendly against four time World Cup Champion Italy. U.S. Forward Jozy Atidore assisted on the goal, allowing the U.S. to win for the first time against Italy in 11 games played since 1934.^[78]

International goals[link]

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	May 28, 2005	Chicago, Illinois	England	1–2	1–2	Friendly match
2	July 7, 2005	Seattle, Washington	Cuba	1–1	4–1	2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup
3	February 2, 2006	San Francisco, California	Japan	2–0	3–2	Friendly
4	March 1, 2006	Kaiserslautern, Germany	Poland	1–0	1–0	Friendly
5	May 26, 2006	Cleveland, Ohio	Venezuela	2–0	2–0	Friendly
6	June 22, 2006	Nuremberg, Germany	Ghana	1–1	1–2	2006 FIFA World Cup
7	June 2, 2007	San Jose, California	China PR	3–1	4–1	Friendly
8	June 7, 2007	Carson, California	Guatemala	1–0	1–0	2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup
9	September 8, 2007	Chicago, Illinois	Brazil	2–2	2–4	Friendly
10	June 15, 2008	Carson, California	Barbados	1–0	8–0	2010 FIFA World Cup Qual.
11				5–0
12	September 6, 2008	Havana, Cuba	Cuba	1–0	1–0	2010 FIFA World Cup Qual.
13	September 10, 2008	Bridgeview, Illinois	Trinidad and Tobago	2–0	3–0	2010 FIFA World Cup Qual.
14	June 21, 2009	Rustenburg, South Africa	Egypt	3–0	3–0	2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
15	June 24, 2009	Bloemfontein, South Africa	Spain	2–0	2–0	2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
16	June 28, 2009	Johannesburg, South Africa	Brazil	1–0	2–3	2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
17	September 5, 2009	Sandy, Utah	El Salvador	1–1	2–1	2010 FIFA World Cup Qual.
18	May 30, 2010	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Turkey	2–1	2–1	Friendly
19	June 12, 2010	Rustenburg, South Africa	England	1–1	1-1	2010 FIFA World Cup
20	June 7, 2011	Detroit, Michigan	Canada	2–0	2–0	2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup
21	June 19, 2011	Washington, D.C., United States	Jamaica	2–0	2–0	2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup
22	June 22, 2011	Houston, Texas	Panama	1–0	1–0	2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup
23	October 8, 2011	Miami, Florida	Honduras	1–0	1-0	Friendly
24	November 15, 2011	Ljubljana, Slovenia	Slovenia	2–1	3–2	Friendly
25	February 29, 2012	Genoa, Italy	Italy	1–0	1–0	Friendly

Playing style[link]

Known for his toughness, Dempsey played two games with a broken jaw in 2004 before the team trainer diagnosed it, and upon his return, he played through the pain of a sprained ankle. Despite usually playing in wide positions, he frequently scores close-range goals and has scored repeatedly with diving headers in crowded situations. His tenacity in midfield combined with his audacious dribbling skills frequently results in opponents fouling him, and Dempsey has gained a reputation for fierce play.

This has on several occasions lapsed into violent conduct. He was suspended by the New England Revolution for two weeks in March 2006 for a fist fight with teammate Joe Franchino during a practice game^[4] and was twice suspended by MLS during the 2006 season for violent conduct against opponents, including an elbow that broke the jaw of national teammate Jimmy Conrad. In a similar incident with Fulham in 2007, Dempsey accidentally broke the cheekbone of Chelsea defender John Terry in an aerial challenge but was not penalized.^[79] A further similar incident, in December 2011, took place in a match against Manchester United, with Dempsey accidentally elbowing opponent Phil Jones in the side of the head and causing a suspected broken cheekbone. Again no action was taken by the referee.^[80]

Dempsey is a versatile attacking midfielder normally played on the left or right for Fulham and the United States. However, he has proven to be more of a threat the closer to goal he gets. His goals against Egypt and Spain in the Confederations Cup came almost immediately after being moved to forward by a substitution from Bob Bradley.

Career statistics[link]

Club[link]

As of 06 May 2012^[81][82]

International[link]

As of 29 February 2012^[83]

Honors[link]

Club[link]

New England Revolution

• Runner-up
  • MLS Cup (2): 2005, 2006
  • MLS Supporters' Shield (1): 2005

Fulham

• Runner-up
  • UEFA Europa League (1): 2009–10

International[link]

United States

• Winner
  • CONCACAF Gold Cup (2): 2005, 2007
• Runner-up
  • FIFA Confederations Cup (1): 2009

Individual[link]

• MLS Rookie of the Year Award (1): 2004
• Honda Player of the Year (2): 2006, 2011
• MLS Best XI (2): 2005, 2006
• U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year (2): 2007, 2011
• FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Ball (1): 2009
• Fulham Player of the Season (2): 2010/11, 2011/12
• Premiership Player of the Season: 4th place in 2011/12

Personal life[link]

Dempsey is married to Bethany Keegan Dempsey. They have a daughter named Elyse and a son named Jackson.They live in Wimbledon.

Music[link]

One of Dempsey's passions outside of football is hip hop music. Using the alias "Deuce," he, along with fellow Texas rappers XO and the late Houston rapper Big Hawk from the Screwed Up Click, are featured rapping the song "Don't Tread" in a Nike football advertising campaign for the 2006 World Cup with the intention to showcase both the sport's working-class roots and the United States team ahead of the World Cup.^[84] The song's video is dedicated to his sister Jennifer, who, at age sixteen, was suddenly struck with a fatal brain aneurysm. At Dempsey's request, the video ends with a shot of him placing a flower at her grave.

Notes[link]

1. ^ Includes other competitive competitions, including the MLS Cup

References[link]