Fulham midfielder Clint Dempsey visited the White House on Thursday to receive a Presidential send off from Barack Obama, Vice-President Joe Biden and former President Bill Clinton.
President Obama stated that he will be following his nation’s fortunes at this summer’s World Cup Finals in South Africa, as Dempsey and company received a tour of the White House.
“I just want to say how incredibly proud we are of the team,” said Obama on Thursday. “Everybody’s going to be rooting for you. And although sometimes we don’t remember it here in the United States, this is going to be the biggest world stage there is. And you’re going to be representing all of us.
“We’re going to be proud of what you do when you get to South Africa, and you will have somebody in the Oval Office who’s going to be watching ESPN to make sure that things are going OK."
Following their tour of the White House the US international team travelled to Philadelphia ahead of Saturday’s exhibition match against Turkey, where they will be backed by 48,000 supporters at Lincoln Financial Field.
Dempsey is clearly looking forward to this summer’s Finals where he will face England in the Unites States' opening match of the tournament.
“We’ve been working really hard to get ready for the World Cup,” said Dempsey. “I think the team is confident.
"It would be nice to go into South Africa with a solid performance against Turkey. We’ll be ready to play Saturday, and I think the guys on this team believe in each and what we’re trying to accomplish.”
