Dempsey heading back to Fulham on two-month loan

Remember how excited Clint Dempsey was to come home to the U.S. when he signed with the Seattle Sounders of Major League Soccer in August?

Well, now he’s going home again -- this time flying the other way.

Dempsey, stalwart of the U.S. national team, has accepted a two-month loan with Fulham of the English Premier League, where he had previously played for 5-1/2 seasons.

U.S. national team Coach Juergen Klinsmann had strongly urged his MLS players to take winter loans to Europe to prepare for next summer’s World Cup. So far Dempsey is the only one who has taken the hint.

“It feels good to be back. This has always felt like my home in Europe,” said Dempsey, whose deal is expected to go through when the transfer window opens Jan. 1. “Going into a World Cup year, I want to get back to playing at the highest level and get back to form.”

Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena said his team’s two national team players, forward Landon Donovan and defender Omar Gonzalez, will be staying home this winter.

Dempsey, 30, scored 60 goals in 225 appearances in his previous stay with Fulham, which stands 19th in the 20-team EPL, leaving it in danger of relegation.

“I want to help the team when they’re not in the position they want to be in,” Dempsey said of his return to Craven Cottage.

Demspey was voted the club’s top player in 2011-12 before jumping to Tottenham Hotspur in August 2012. He spent just a year there before returning to the U.S. with Seattle, which paid him $5 million last season. But scored just once in 12 games, including the playoffs.

He had six goals and two assists in 10 matches for the U.S. last season, helping the team to a record 16 wins.

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