USA national team coach Bob Bradley has praised Clint Dempsey for again letting his hard work lead the way. The 28-year old attacking midfielder had a superb season with Fulham, scoring 12 goals in the Premier League to make him the club's all-time leading scorer in that competition.
Bradley admits he was unsure how Dempsey would get on at Craven Cottage after Roy Hodgson was replaced by Mark Hughes but says that the end result for the former New England Revolution man came through his customary hard-working nature.
"I think that Clint continues to be a player that improves and gets better and establishes himself more and more with his teammates and his managers. Earlier in the year at Fulham, with a new manager, it wasn't exactly clear how it would all work but Clint works hard," Bradley said.
"He earns respect by the way he goes about his business every day. Whether you play him in the midfield or as a striker, and really whether he's playing underneath as a striker or where Fulham has used him at times up higher, he works hard.
"He puts himself in good positions. He's got an ability to make a chance for himself out of nothing. He's got an instinct and an aggressiveness to get into spots and score goals and I think that continues to show."