Growing up in East Texas taught Clint Dempsey not to back down from anything.
So when the U.S. national team star found himself in the middle of a fracas, he remembered his training, looked his opponent in the eye and goaded him on. Thankfully, the priceless moment was caught on camera for all to see.
Dempsey aimed his scrunched face, or “mean mug,” at an opponenent … or two … or three … or six, basically at anyone he was talking trash to during a tense moment in Tuesday’s game between the U.S. and Jamaica.
As both sets of players pushed and yelled at each other, Dempsey stepped in and showed how scared he wasn’t by mocking a face someone was making while bobbing his head from side to side. With that face, Dempsey let it be known that he’s not afraid to war with Ryan Johnson, Jermaine Taylor, Luton Shelton, Lennox from the movie Belly, or any other Jamaican.
Cooler heads prevailed within seconds and the game soon continued.
Herculez Gomez scored the game’s only goal to give the U.S. a 1-0 win, but Dempsey’s face may be the lasting image from a truly emotional game.
Watch the incident in full in the video below.
Or just check out Dempsey’s “mean mug” below.
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