Grant Wahl: Dempsey heads top-15 list of American performances in Europe

Let's come right out and say it: Clint Dempsey is having the best season ever by a U.S. international in Europe. With his late equalizer against Chelsea on Monday, the Fulham sniper now has 16 Premier League goals this season. The only Premier League players who have more goals in all competitions than Dempsey's 22 are Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Sergio Aguero.

Naturally, the rumor mill is already in overdrive predicting Dempsey's future: Will he be leaving Fulham for a Champions League team next season? But all that talk is mere conjecture at this point, and if you ask me it takes the proper focus away from what Dempsey has already accomplished in this remarkable 2011-12 season.

To put Dempsey's achievements in historical context, I'm devoting this column to ranking the top 15 European seasons for U.S. internationals.