Amidst an absolutely amazing spectacle of a match that slammed together so many memorable moments that it will invariably become a 30 For 30 in the near future, the breakout star from Sunday’s Concacaf Nations League final may not have even set foot on the field.
If you tuned in to the pregame, the halftime show or the admirably long postgame show, Clint Dempsey’s unique type of starpower was impossible to miss. Whether it was some sober bit of analysis or, more frequently, a bit of light banter, Dempsey managed to shine. To steal a term once bestowed upon him as a player, Dempsey was simply willing to “try shit” and, more often than not, it worked better than any of us could have imagined.