Although disappointed with the final outcome, Nacogdoches, Texas, native Clint Dempsey lived a dream over the weekend. Taking part in MLS Cup 2005 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Dempsey fought for a professional championship for the New England Revolution not far from where he had played in many tournaments as a kid.
Nacogdoches lies just a few hours southeast of the Dallas Metroplex and Frisco, which made Sunday's MLS Cup Final an easy destination for so many in his family.
"It's been really exciting," said Dempsey's mother Debbie. "When we were driving around last night we saw some of the streets like Custer and Spring Creek Parkway -- those are the streets we used to travel down to take him to Labor Day tournaments when he was playing with the Dallas Texans. So it's been like a dream come true -- we've really been blessed."
Dempsey had 30 to 40 family members and friends in attendance, including his 95-year-old great-grandmother, who braved the hot Texas sun in support of her great grandson. Some family members had their faces painted in Revolution blue as they cheered on their favorite son.
"It's always great to play in your home state in front of your family," said Dempsey after the Revolution's 1-0 extra-time loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy. "But unfortunately we didn't have the happy ending. In life you have your ups and downs and you've just got to enjoy the ride.
"It was nice of them to all come out and show their support. It means a lot to me -- hopefully there will be a next time so I can pay them back for coming out here."
Dempsey fought hard for his team for the entire match, showing his usual scrappy, non-stop hustle style of play that has forged his reputation. He played the full match, starting as the attacking midfielder then moving to forward in the 64th minute when Jose Cancela came in for Pat Noonan.
"I'm so proud of just the whole Revolution team and how wonderful they played this season," said Debbie Dempsey. "He's still my baby, so they made him feel very welcome and I know that they take good care of him. Well, he doesn't need taking care of, but he stays focused. He's a good guy and a hard-nosed player, but he's really got a kind spirit.
"We are very proud of him. After all that's happened to him over these past two years Clint is still Clint."
After a breakout year in 2004 -- winning Rookie of the Year honors -- Dempsey continued his great form to help the Revolution lead the Eastern Conference for much of the season, then surviving the playoffs to get to MLS Cup. He also made his international debut, scoring for the USA in a dream match against England.
"We battled through some tough games against the Metrostars and Chicago to get here," said Dempsey. "Obviously, we would like to win but that's the way it goes sometimes. But everybody is going to work hard going into next year and hopefully we can get back and finally win one."
The stellar regular season makes the loss that much more disappointing, as the Revs had played the role of underdog for several years before becoming arguably this year's best team from start to finish.
"To look back on the season I feel good about what we've done," said Dempsey. "We played well as a team with all the call-ups and injuries. It's a tough pill to swallow because we feel like we were a team that should have won it and we didn't.
"Hopefully we can have the right attitude coming into next year and turn this thing around."
Scott Joiner is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
