“Hero: The Official Film of the 1986 FIFA World Cup.”
He remembers the key details. The tournament was held in Mexico and won by Argentina, led by the legendary Diego Maradona, someone who would have an integral influence on Dempsey’s vibrant, flashy style of play.
Most important, he remembers feeling a connection and comfort from watching thousands of soccer-crazed fans from every corner of the globe. “Here I am in Nacogdoches, Texas, where not many people are as passionate about the sport as I am,” said Dempsey, 31, who plays for the Seattle Sounders FC of MLS, “and then I’m looking on TV and seeing people from all over, from all these different countries that have the same passion that I do, and they’re willing their team on.
“That’s when I fell in love with it and wanted to one day be on that stage and represent my country. I mean, what could be more special than that?”
That special dream has been lived by a special player.
Dempsey’s third World Cup begins Thursday, and as captain of the U.S. national team he will be called upon to guide an underdog squad through a group that seems almost unfairly difficult. He will try to become the first player in U.S. soccer history to score in three World Cups.