Position: Midfielder/Forward
Born: 09.03.83
Club: New England

There are few more exciting sights in American 'soccer' than Clint Dempsey bursting out of his favoured attacking midfield role, beating a defender with his scintillating pace and firing home.

At just 23, Dempsey has already won the MLS Rookie of the Year award and was named in the MLS' Team of the Year in 2005 yet his stats in qualifying for this tournament - just 256 minutes' playing time from seven appearances - hints at a role as an 'impact player' at international level.

Happy either out of midfield or up front, Dempsey is still something of an international rookie yet his talent and commitment are unquestioned, the latter evidenced by him playing two games for his franchise with a fractured jaw.

Whether this tournament represents his breakthrough as an American international remains to be seen but what is not in doubt is that Dempsey will go on to win many more caps at this level.