By Mark Vincent Lincir

A SOCCER LIFE IN SHORTS author Mark Vincent Lincir demands that a top EPL club buy American Clint Dempsey now!

Enough with all the talk that Clint Dempsey is content at Craven Cottage or that the bigger clubs are waiting to make a move on him.

The time is now!

Every interview I have ever read about Clint he has talked about wanting to eventually be on a club that competes in the Champions League. Well, his opportunity to do that should be now!

Maybe not right now, but soon. And staying with Fulham isn’t going to help him get there. And believe me, I mean this as no offense to Fulham. I have been to Craven Cottage and had a phenomenal experience there…but Clint has done well and Fulham has been great for him, it’s just time to move on.

Clint must move onward and upward to one of the top clubs in the EPL. Manchester United? Yes, he could play there. Chelsea? Absolutely and I think that Clint would be a great buy for them. Is he better than Torres? Yes, he is, because Fernando Torres is an illusion that is taking up a lot of money and providing basically nothing in return.

Liverpool? How can they NOT be interested, especially with American owners and all. Tottenham? I think he could fit like a glove into Harry’s squad. He’s got the swagger and workrate…the quality shot and is serviceable in the air…he is tenacious and most of all…he SCORES goals!

Enough with the excuses, somebody big needs to sign him now! OR he will get away.

On a more domestic note, MLS preseason has started and I had the privilege/chore of watching some of the training the other day. For all the sessions I have ever seen, I still haven’t seen one that has made me want to take out my notebook. But the preseason is still young and it’s only one club. Seattle and Vancouver are due into Casa Grande, Arizona this weekend…book your tickets!

I don’t know if I was less entertained watching the USA v Venezuela or USA v Panama. I know the games are good for our young guys, but it’s still brutal especially with a horrible feed…do they blur it on purpose?

I have become a big fan of Sporting KC’s Graham Zusi. He takes people on, works all day and has a wicked shot. Jurgen needs to give him more time in the midfield and he might just work out to be more productive than Landon. Did I just say that? OMG…

It’s good to see Benny Feilhaber out there, he was one of the best players on the field against Venezuela. It’s too bad that Bob Bradley didn’t use him the last few years, because he IS one of the most talented American players IN THE WORLD on the ball.

Beckham might be back for another season, but the player I would really like to see in MLS soon is Didier Drogba. Frank Lampard will probably venture stateside soon, but I think Drogba would be worth every penny of the huge money he would command.

I don’t think Thierry Henry will be effective for the Red Bulls when he comes back from Arsenal. I DO think that Robbie Keane WILL be a scoring machine after returning from Villa.

Euro Cup this summer…already counting down the days. Will you be there?

A SOCCER LIFE IN SHORTS is available at www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com