By Mark Vincent Lincir

The Sixers have…or had Allen Iverson, aka The Answer. Give him the ball and watch him score. Jurgen Klinsmann and his staff need to accept the fact that Fulham’s Clint Dempsey is the answer for them…whether they like it or not.

Jozy Altidore? Too inconsistent.

Juan Agudelo? Unproven and young.

Herculez Gomez? Again, but deserves a shot up top with Dempsey more than maybe anyone else. Why the snub though? Unfortunately, he has entered the game way too late and will most likely be passed up for younger legs, despite his proven appetite for goal.

So it leaves the confident Clint up top with who? Maybe by himself. Or, if Jurgen decides to run one or maybe even two (wingers, anyone?) players up top with him…he’ll have to share the ball with Agudelo, Altidore, Gomez, Landon Donovan or even DaMarcus Beasley?

To be honest, none of his running mates seems like a workable solution to me. I think he gets the run of the frontline all to himself with wingers and a few serviceable midfielders to push the ball forward to him.

Time and time again it’s Clint Dempsey who wants the ball, demands the ball and always tries to do something offensive with it. Not enough of our players have that hunger and swagger that Clint has. He does instill fear into opposition defenses. Landon can, if he is in the mood, but that isn’t good enough at the international level.

Altidore continues to be full of “potential” and even though he is having a productive year in the Netherlands thus far, still has to score on a much more consistent basis to prove himself worthy of full time minutes.

With a game in France coming up, it’s time that Jurgen settles with Clint up top and leaves him there. Sure, he can play wide, but that just takes him farther away from the goal. For many years now since Brian McBride retired, the USMNT has been without a “go-to” guy up top. And the frustrations are mounting.

Until now…

Clint is the man and should be until he either runs out of gas or somebody legit unseats him. Right now the contenders seem to be content playing nothing more than a supporting role. Let Clint roam freely and score until his huge heart is content…which will be never. He’s always hungry for more!

Mark Vincent Lincir is the author of A SOCCER LIFE IN SHORTS and also blogs daily at Escaping Eddies and follow him on Twitter @MVLINCIR.

HAVE YOUR SAY…Is Clint Dempsey the answer? Who should be paired with the Fulham man up front? Voice your opinion below.