Clint Dempsey will be a studio analyst for Nations League

When Clint Dempsey rode off into the sunset in 2018, many of us assumed that might be the last we ever heard from him. At his Seattle Sounders farewell ceremony, Dempsey not only skipped talking to the press, he didn’t even say a word to the crowd during the event.

That was hardly surprising, though, as Dempsey never seemed particularly interested in that type of stuff, whether he was forging a new path for Americans in Europe, establishing himself as one of the most prolific scorers in USMNT history, or forming one of the most exciting attacking partnerships in MLS history.

Nearly three years after retiring, he’s apparently a bit more interested. On Monday, CBS announced that Dempsey would be one of a handful of studio analysts who will be participating in their coverage of upcoming Nations League games. The analyst crew will actually be a bit of a 2009 Confederations Cup reunion, as Dempsey will be joined by Charlie Davies and Oguchi Onyewu in pregame, halftime and postgame analysis.

What can be expected from Dempsey is anyone’s guess. Dempsey showed a much more introspective side than we’d ever seen when he was a guest on Onyewu’s podcast last week and seemed to be keeping an eye on USMNT players. He’s also given glimpses of a keen level of insight, even if he’s been disinclined to share it publicly very often.

Most likely, Dempsey might just be looking for a new challenge. He hinted at maybe getting a little bored with the whole stay-at-home-dad routine when he likened himself to an Uber driver during the podcast appearance. This could be a good chance for him to just see if TV work is a good fit, while CBS will surely get a nice ratings boost just for the potential spectacle. Maybe he likes it and we see a new side of Deuce. Maybe he bombs — like so many other former players have — and he goes back to his more reclusive life, satisfied that he’s scratched that itch. Either way, this is almost certainly appointment viewing.