Clint Dempsey, Lindsey Heaps catch Skills Challenge vibes: "It was so cool" | OneFootball

By Charles Boehm

AUSTIN, Texas – “He’s still got it.”

That was Evander’s verdict on Clint Dempsey’s return to the pitch Tuesday night after FC Cincinnati’s star of the present teamed up with the MLS and US men’s national team icon to help deliver a narrow, dramatic victory for the home team in the 2025 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T.

“Unfortunately, he's retired right now,” deadpanned the Brazilian playmaker after he and ‘Deuce’ ran the show in the MLS All-Star Passing Challenge presented by Bounty. “But if we got a chance to play together, I think that would work.”

VIP spectacle

Class is permanent, it’s said, and game recognizes game. Such was undoubtedly the case for the MLS squad as they welcomed Dempsey and US women’s national team star Lindsey Heaps to their side as special guests for this festive evening at Austin FC's Q2 Stadium.

“Great experience,” Dempsey told MLS Season Pass’s Jillian Sakovits. “Great to put on the shoes again, get out on the pitch, and everybody performed well. We got the dub and that's what it's all about, representing MLS.”

It was a mighty friendly Texas homecoming for the former New England Revolution and Seattle Sounders standout, and an occasion to remember for everyone on the pitch – even Heaps, who's won a Women's World Cup, an Olympic gold medal and just about every piece of hardware on offer in the women's club game, both in NWSL and European soccer.

“It was so cool,” said Heaps, née Horan, whose husband Tyler is the sporting director at thriving MLS expansion newcomers San Diego FC.

“I was like, I was next to [Anders] Dreyer, who's obviously on San Diego, who my husband brought to San Diego, so that was really cool. And passing the ball with Clint Dempsey is probably one of the most special things in my career.”

The Skills Challenge, above all, is about entertainment, vibes and spectacle – and here that included sharing the spotlight with globally-known streamer IShowSpeed, unsurprisingly a popular follow for many of those involved.

“Yeah, crazy. I think it's kind of surreal,” said Heaps of Speed. “But he made it fun and enjoyable, and got people going and laughing.”

The Deuce experience

While the competitive juices undoubtedly flowed in the Texas capital, everyone duly let their hair down and had fun in the spirit of the moment. First and foremost in that category: The mic’d-up Dempsey’s stream of banter with his friends and former teammates up in the commentators’ booth, delivered in that signature East Texas twang.

Perhaps even more special for those on the pitch was the chance to shoot the breeze between events.

“We talked a lot, chatted a bit, and kind of got to know each other more,” explained Diego Luna of his interactions with Dempsey, one of the Real Salt Lake midfielder's childhood heroes. "And he helped me and talked about things that we've been through and stuff like that, and I think that was pretty cool.”

Added Evander: “He was having fun, I think. Once you're a soccer player and then you retire, of course you miss the time on the pitch and all the chat we used to do.”

Home-team favorite Brad Stuver, an adopted Austinite who has embraced the local culture and is beloved among the Verde faithful, got a dose of that Deuce folk wisdom, too.

“That's someone that I watched growing up,” said the Austin FC goalkeeper. “I asked him how long it took to be a native Texan. So he gave me the answer: I still got a long ways to go.”

More in store?

Might we see Dempsey back on the pitch again at future editions? With the thrill of victory still fresh, he certainly wasn’t ruling it out.

“I think it's pretty cool,” said the former striker, who now commentates on matches and other programming for multiple media outlets. “It mixes things up a little bit, lets more interaction with the fans, and it's a good way to kind of build relationships outside of your team with other players that are around the league. I just feel like with the All-Star Game, you don't really have a lot of time; with the Skills Challenge, it lets you get to know them a little bit better.

“Me and my six kids, my sister, she got five kids, my brother, his girlfriend was here, my mom and my dad were here. So I was definitely supported tonight,” he added. “It's always great to be back in my home state of Texas, and we had a great time.”

HIGHLIGHTS: 2025 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T