Fulham's U.S. players discuss surviving relegation

	Brian McBride and Clint Dempsey celebrate Dempsey's goal last weekend that saved Fulham from relegation. Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
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LONDON -- The biggest goal ever scored by an American? That honor probably belongs to Paul Caligiuri, whose "Shot Heard 'Round the World" against Trinidad and Tobago in 1989 sent the U.S. to its first World Cup in 40 years.

But Clint Dempsey's strike against Liverpool last weekend comes tantalizingly close. In the 69th minute of Fulham's penultimate game of the season, Dempsey charged in from the right side of the pitch and orchestrated a delicious give-and-go with Liam Rosenior on the flank. The English defender crossed it back into the Texan, who chipped the ball over keeper Pepe Reina and gave Fulham a 1-0 win, sending the fans at Craven Cottage into hysterics. (Click here to see it.)

On its own, not a bad way to bag a last-minute win. And not a bad way to both save your team $60 million and rescue it from being demoted.

Fulham was battling a 10-game winless streak that saw it dangerously close to relegation to the League Championship, the second division below the English Premier League. (The bottom three clubs in the standings get sent down each year.) Dempsey's goal gave the Cottagers the three points they needed to put them out of harm's way, guaranteeing Fulham will receive the lucrative league payout as a result of staying in England's top flight next season.

It had been a long time coming for Dempsey, whom Fulham purchased from the New England Revolution for $3 million last December amid a flurry of hype. No Major League Soccer player -- or any American, for that matter -- had ever made such a lucrative move to Europe.

The creative attacker is the latest in the line of talented American exports who have been saddled with making a big impression in the big leagues of Europe. And until his primetime debut goal, "Deuce" had struggled as a bench player despite some positive signs.

But he'll now be immortalized in club history, and is one of three Americans who made a huge impact at Fulham during the '06-07 season. Two of Dempsey's U.S. national-team cohorts also have been big contributors: Striker Brian McBride and versatile defender Carlos Bocanegra were the club's top two scorers this year, the first time three Americans have ever played for the same club in one of Europe's top leagues.

I caught up with the Fulham Yank trio on a rainy Wednesday afternoon at the club's Motspur Park training ground in the southwestern London suburbs. We talked about Dempsey's special goal, what it's like to be in a relegation battle and how much is at stake for the future of Americans in the Premiership.

SI.com: Clint, was that the most important goal you've ever scored?

Dempsey: For me personally, I'd say it's the second-most important goal. The one in the '06 World Cup [against Ghana, the only goal the U.S. scored] was a tough one to beat. But this one had a lot of importance. It shows how much more pressure there is here than in the States. In the U.S., if you don't do well, you don't really get punished for it. It may hurt your career and your coach may be fired, but your team will still be around. It won't kill a franchise. Here, you go down to the League Championship and you lose that Premiership money.

McBride: Clint realizes it's just one thing, but a big thing. He's not walking around training saying, "Look at me! I scored the big goal!" He wouldn't want anyone else on the team making it out that way. With the season being over, he'll be able to reflect a little and look at what he took out of the experience.