What is obvious, having tracked down a multitude of Clint Dempsey’s former teammates for their favorite stories about an American soccer icon, is how much his upbringing shaped him.



Having grown up in Nacogdoches, Texas in a working-class family, Clint lost his older sister, Jennifer, to a brain aneurysm when he was 12 years old. Jennifer was an up-and-coming tennis prospect, and after her death, Clint was determined to make the absolute most of his own potential.



His background manifested itself in fistfights and broken jaws — not just with opponents, but with his own teammates. That smoldering fire is part of what allowed him to match the all-time U.S. men’s national team scoring record, flourish in the lofty heights of the English Premier League and impress in MLS both as a young SuperDraft pick and a high-priced superstar.



Yet there’s another side to his personality, too. Almost every former teammate referred to...