Dempsey questioned Donovan's absence ahead of the 2014 World Cup, when the forward took a sabbatical one year out from the competition
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Dempsey criticizes Donovan on podcastBrings up 2013 sabbatical, questions former teammateChristian Pulisic's father, Mark, raised similar criticismFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Clint Dempsey criticized former U.S. men's national team member Landon Donovan for his choice to take a sabbatical away from the game in 2013. The move, which many at the time questioned, ultimately cost Donovan a spot on the 2014 World Cup roster, ex-manager Jurgen Klinsmann confirmed in 2024.
Donovan was absent for 144 days, and on his podcast , Dempsey sounded off on his former teammate.
"The analogy I use is you have the opportunity to go plant the crops, harvest the crops, and then you're sitting at the table it's time to eat, and you're showing up when it's time to eat," he said. "It's kind of like, 'Where were you when we were grinding in the sun, putting that stuff out there, the away games, your back against the wall?'
"I don't know what he was dealing with and what he was going through, but to build your teammates' trust and all that, you've got to go through the wars with them, the battles with them. You've got to be able to look and say, 'Hey, they're not going to flake on you. When your back's against the wall and you need to win, they're going to be right there with you.' So I can't say what the situation was, but that's how I looked at that."
The comments, made last week, echo a recent spotlight on Donovan after he had critcized current USMNT star Christian Pulisic for requesting to skip the Gold Cup due to fatigue.
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On a FOX broadcast Sunday, Donovan aimed a dig at Pulisic on-air while Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal were celebrating their EURO Nations League title.
“This is what it means to represent your country,” Donovan said on air. “If you don’t want to take it seriously as a professional soccer player and someone who gets the opportunity to wear the jersey, then don’t come in.”
He added, “I can’t help but think about our guys on vacation, not wanting to play in the Gold Cup. It’s p*ssing me off.”
Pulisic's father, Mark, responded to Donovan on social media Sunday, bringing up the American's 2013 sabbatical as well while telling him to "look in the mirror."
WHAT DEMPSEY ADDED
Dempsey, however, did agree with Donovan on his remarks about Pulisic's absence. The former striker claiming he "doesn't understand" why the AC Milan star would need a break due to fatigue, one year out from the World Cup.
“I’m a big fan of Christian. I think what he’s been able to do for both club and country has been amazing,” Dempsey said on the podcast. “And in terms of American players playing abroad, him and Antonee Robinson have been the most consistent and the top players in terms of flying that flag for us.
“In terms of his situation, I can’t say what it is. I don’t know the ins and outs of it. But in terms of my situation, when I played in Europe and came back, there were times where I was tired. I had to get a PRP injection in my adductor. I had to maybe rest for some of the friendly games so that I could be fit to play in the tournaments."
Dempsey is one of the most decorated players in U.S. history, winning three Gold Cups and helping the Americans finish as a runner-up in the 2009 Confederations Cup to Brazil.
“Whether it was Gold Cup, whether it was Copa [América], whether it was the Confederations Cup, whether it was the World Cup," he said. "I wasn’t gonna miss competitions. That’s just the kind of guy that I always was. So for me, I don’t understand it because that wasn’t my mentality. I always wanted to play in those games."
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The USMNT plays in an international friendly against Switzerland Tuesday, followed by the CONCACAF Gold Cup beginning early next week.