Clint Dempsey is probably the best American player in history. He was a journeyman Premier League player at best who never played at the highest level of the European competition. He was a decent player, but little more.
And yet, given the scarcity of genuine American talent, Dempsey is the most successful individual player in the history of U.S. soccer. But as the sport booms across the country and an increasingly quantity and quality of talent burgeons, the USMNT face a looming period of genuine and substantial ability.
Christian Pulisic is obviously the leading candidate for the developing talent in the U.