Clint Dempsey remains one of the biggest names in USMNT history, with 57 international goals and Premier League spells at Fulham and Tottenham.
He became a reference point for American attackers abroad, combining edge, output and longevity across club and international football.
But despite that strong career, Tim Howard and Landon Donovan sparked backlash after comparing Dempsey favourably with several elite names.
Tim Howard and Landon Donovan make bold Clint Dempsey call
Unfiltered Soccer, Howard and Donovan’s show, posted a clip of the pair playing “Don’t speak until you hear a player better than Dempsey”.
The video was used to build hype for their latest episode, featuring Dempsey himself as the guest.
Howard and Donovan only reacted when Mesut Ozil and Son Heung-min were mentioned, suggesting those were the players they viewed above the former Fulham star.
They stayed silent when other names were read out, including Nani, Antoine Griezmann, Sadio Mane and Eden Hazard. Joe Cole, Theo Walcott, Robinho and Christian Eriksen were also mentioned.
Fans criticise former USMNT stars over Dempsey ranking
The clip quickly drew criticism from fans who felt Howard and Donovan had pushed the Dempsey argument too far.
“As an Englishman who spends a lot of time in the States, I defend US ball knowledge to people back home, but, my god, do you make it hard sometimes,” one fan wrote.
Another one stated: “All of them are better than Dempsey.”
“Hazard was like debatably a top 3 player in the world in his prime, definitely top 5 at least. Dempsey was very good but never hit those levels. Dempsey is my favorite ever USMNT player too but come on, man, be so for real,” a third fan added.
“This post just set US soccer back 100 years,” replied a fourth Instagram user, summing up the feeling about the post.
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