Lifestyle

17 Things You Need To Know About US Soccer Star Clint Dempsey

by Julian Sonny

With all the controversy surrounding US soccer before kick off in Brazil, Clint Dempsey wasted no time putting skeptics to sleep by scoring in the 37th second of the match.

His valiant effort might have been a shock to some down at the World Cup, but to his fans in America, who watched him stunt for his country back in 2010, this is nothing new.

He's the team's brightest star and their biggest hope when it comes to making it out of the group stages. And without his righthand man, Landon Donovan, there to help him take care of business, the pressure will be on harder than ever.

But before we root for, cheer on and scrutinize the talented Mr. Dempsey, let's take a closer look into what kind of man he is. These are 17 things you need to know about America's greatest hope.

Clint Dempsey is a 31-year-old Texas native (from Nacogdoches)

He just scored the 5th fastest goal in World Cup history

He grew up with one brother and one sister in a trailer park...

...And was first discovered on the sidelines at his brother's tryout.

His sister's death (brain aneurysm) when she was 16 inspired him to play soccer

He couldn't afford to keep playing, but teammates on his youth team helped pay for him to play

He now he has his own family and three children

He tried to launch a rap career and had this music video

He likes to fish and golf in his free time

His nickname is "Deuce"

He looked up to Argentinean star Diego Maradona when he was a child.

And he used to look emo

He attended Furman University in South Carolina, where he majored in health and exercise.

He played two matches in 2004 with a broken jaw

Then, in Europe, he played for Fulham and Tottenham...

Getty Images

...Where he became the first US player ever to score a hat trick in a Premier League game

But he knew this since he was in high school

Bonus: He can do this