Deuce Nets a Trio in FA Cup Tie

The Legend of Clint Dempsey continues to grow at Craven Cottage.

Just over a month removed from eclipsing Brian McBride’s record 36 career goals scored by an American in the English Premier League, the former Revolution midfielder pulled the trigger three times in a 4-0 FA Cup tournament victory over Charlton Athletic on Saturday.

Dempsey scored goals in the 12th, 61st and 81st minutes to earn his first hat trick in a Fulham shirt. It is believed to that the Nacogdoches, TX native is only the third American to capture a hat track in a high-level English fixture. Chris Cleary scored three for Workshop against Droylsden in October 2004 while John Kerr, Jr. – who also played for the Revolution (1996-97) – netted a trio for Millwall against Derby in a second-tier league match in August 1994.

The first strike came when Dempsey took a pass from Danny Murphy and buried it past Charlton Athletic keeper John Sullivan with a right-footed finish in the 12th minute.  His second score arrived after the hour when he grabbed a Bryan Ruiz ball and chipped it over Sullivan to double the Cottagers’ lead in minute 61.

Ruiz was brought down inside the box in the 81st minute, setting up a penalty that Dempsey coolly converted to put the bow on a match that the American import will not soon forget.

During his time with the Revolution, Dempsey scored 25 goals in 71 games from 2004-06 and was named MLS Rookie of the Year in 2004. The brazen midfielder clocked in a two-goal performance against New York on Jul. 1, 2006.

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