Relegation of Fulham a loss for U.S. soccer fans

Published 10:07 pm Tuesday, May 6, 2014

On Saturday, Fulham was soundly beaten by 4-1 Stoke City. A three-goal loss, but this one will sting forever.

This loss signed the club’s fate to relegation.

When the English Premier League begins the 2014-15 season in August, it will be the first time since 2001 that Craven Cottage will not host an EPL game.

Every year the bottom three teams in the EPL do not get the first three draft choices like in the USA, but rather are relegated.

Let’s just consider the championship division the “minor leagues.” Kind of like a Triple-A baseball team. Many of the teams in the English League Championship possess solid players, internationals and numerous former EPL players — but it is still not the Majors.

This is a sad day not just for Fulham fans, but for USA soccer fans.

In my opinion, the U.S. Men’s National Team would not be where it is without Fulham. Brian McBride and Carlos Bocanegra became world-class players after playing regularly for Fulham.

So did Nacogdoches native Clint Dempsey.

No, Fulham were not the only team EPL team to give American players a chance, but many soccer fans in this country adopted Fulham, so to speak, because of its willingness not to shun players who wore the red, white and blue.

Fulham is also based in London, which provided a certain cache itself to the teams and the players on the team.

No, it wasn’t Chelsea, Arsenal or Tottenham — all of which are also in London — but for a player from the USA trying to break into the big leagues, it was a chance to play in the EPL and live in the country’s most notable city.

As for Dempsey, he will forever be remembered as the player who saved Fulham that first time it could’ve been relegated.

In 2007 the club looked a sure bet to be dead and buried, needing a victory against powerful Liverpool at home in the final game to survive and stay up in the EPL.

But as the match began, a nervous Fulham couldn’t break Liverpool down to score the all-important goal. That was until late in the second half when an American, who had never scored, was brought on as a substitute.

The rest is history.

Dempsey received a pass in the box and made no mistake with his shot.

It found the back of the net and set off the kind of celebration at Craven Cottage reserved for teams that have won the league.

All that goal did was confirm Fulham finished 17th out of 20 teams. If you do not finish first or in the top 6 places to qualify for the European tournaments the next season, the ONLY thing that matters is you finish 17th or higher.

Dempsey’s goal accomplished that.

But seven years later, there was no Dempsey to reproduce the magic — save a brief, ineffective loan in January.

Fulham could return to the EPL next season if its finishes in the top 2 spots of the championship.

But for now we bid Fulham FC adieu.

And thank you.