There's no way to color today's injury blow to Fulham and USMNT player Clint Dempsey other than "potentially devastating". Dempsey has come to be a major contributor for both club and country, popping up for crucial goals, putting pressure on opposing defenses, and allowing his managers supreme flexibility.


Dempsey's reputation as a talented, hard-working player is both accurate and well-earned. It's a testament to his abilities and success with Fulham that a perceived drop-off in his play with the Americans is so supremely frustrating. It's not that Dempsey doesn't do plenty while wearing the Red, White, and Blue, it's that he isn't quite as consistent. In both lineups he is crucial, depended-upon, and dangerous. For both sets of fans, he's a favorite.


So it's understandable that the reaction to Dempsey's knee injury in today's match against Blackburn has USMNT fans cursing their luck and gnashing their teeth. With an already problematic injury situation that includes a sidelined Oguchi Onyewu and Charlie Davies, any hint that Dempsey could miss the World Cup is enough to send some fans into a death spiral of depression and lost expectations. Without Dempsey, what chance does the US have of getting out of their group?


Fortunately, we don't yet know that Dempsey will miss the tournament in South Africa. He is scheduled for a scan, and while Fulahm manager Roy Hodgson's appraisal lends no optimism, there's always a chance that the damage is less severe than it seems. With a favorable prognosis and a little luck Dempsey might be back on the field for the Cottagers in a few months, giving him enough time to get back to full fitness and form before June.


Of course, there's the heart-breaking alternative, that Dempsey is out for a protracted length of time and that he either won't be healthy or won't be ready to play for his country this summer. It's that thought that has the fan base worried, and it's that thought that has some wondering if the US will manage anything out of their group stage matches.


Playing without Dempsey would clearly make the Americans a weaker side. Dempsey's experience and talent cannot be replaced easily by Bob Bradley, and there's no real reason to believe that anyone could fill Clint's shoes. The US could be headed for disaster in South Africa, though the loss of Dempsey is not in itself the tipping point. Yes, Dempsey plays a key role, and yes, any substitute is likely to come up short of his standard; but there have been enough games won by the US without a stellar performance from the midfielder to think that it's possible they can get by minus his presence.


But simply because getting through without Dempsey is possible doesn't mean it's likely. The danger Dempsey presents allows other players on the field to find space and make things happen, even when he's not scoring himself. I fully expect that Bob Bradley will curse (if he does curse) his and the team's luck (if Dempsey is indeed lost) briefly before moving on to revamping his lineup. What was a unclear outlook for success becomes all the more murky without Dempsey, and the quality of Bradley's squad will take a massive hit.


I'm crossing my fingers that Dempsey's injury is not season-ending, that he won't miss the World Cup, and that any discussion of the USMNT without him becomes moot almost immediately.


It's about time the US squad caught a lucky break.