Also the world of soccer loses a legend in Portuguese superstar Eusebio.
Clint Dempsey made his first appearance in his return to Fulham on Saturday, playing 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw with Norwich City in a Third Round FA Cup match at Carrow Road. Fulham will host a replay on Tuesday, January 14 at Craven Cottage.
Dempsey had just one shot in the match, his first back for the Premier League side after joining The Whites on loan from Sounders FC. Wearing No. 32, he fired a shot over the crossbar in the ninth minute and later had another attempt blocked off of his foot.
Fulham resumes league play on Saturday against Sunderland at Craven Cottage, where Dempsey could make his first Premier League appearance for the London club since leaving for Tottenham in 2012.
The U.S. National Team captain played 651 minutes in nine matches for Sounders FC after his mid-season transfer from Tottenham, scoring one goal in the regular season finale.
WORLD SOCCER MOURNS LOSS OF EUSEBIO
The soccer world lost one of its greatest on Sunday when Portuguese superstar Eusebio died at age 71 of heart failure.
When the world’s greatest players are discussed, the conversation may evolve to Diego Maradona and Pele, but in his time Eusebio was talked about in the same breath. The Benfica striker scored an astonishing 317 goals in 301 matches from 1960-1975 before playing out the final five years of his professional career while splitting time between North America and his native Portugal. That took him to the Boston Minutemen, Toronto Metros and Las Vegas Quicksilvers in the North American Soccer League, as well as Mexico’s Monterrey, before his retirement in 1979.
His legendary performance at the 1966 World Cup led Portugal to its best ever finish, third place after a 2-1 semifinal loss to England and a 2-1 victory over the Soviet Union. He finished the tournament with nine goals to beat Hungary, Bulgaria and Brazil in the Group Stage and North Korea in the quarterfinals. Against North Korea, Portugal trailed 3-0, but four goals from Eusebio led Portugal to an astonishing 5-3 win.
“Portugal is mourning. Eusebio, the King of Portugal's 1966 team and the eternal symbol of the country, national team and Benfica passed away,” the Portuguese Football Federation said in a statement.
