There’s been a whole lot of talk lately about the U.S. men’s soccer team’s sudden crisis at forward. You’ve got Jozy Altidore, whose less-than-remarkable season at Hull City ended in ignominy last weekend, but he’ll score more with a team that has good midfielders that can get him some service. Then there’s… ummm… well…

Charlie Davies is back in training, but he hasn’t played since getting mangled in a car wreck last October, and chances are he simply won’t be ready for the World Cup. Brian Ching injured his hamstring in an MLS game earlier this month and is struggling to regain his fitness. Conor Casey will play, but he’s never filled Sam’s Army with a lot of confidence. Guys like Puebla’s Herculez Gomez and the L.A. Galaxy’s Edson Buddle are playing their way into the mix.

Bob Bradley, however, has the answer he needs at forward, and it’s been right under his nose all along. It’s Clint Dempsey. It must be Clint Dempsey.

Proof of this was right there today when Fulham came back from a goal down today to topple Hamburg SV and advance to the Europa League Final. Dempsey entered the game in the 57th minute in place of Bobby Zamora, who was visibly struggling through an Achilles problem. To be fair, a healthy Zamora would have done more out there. However, from the moment Dempsey teamed up with Zoltan Gera up front, Fulham’s attack almost instantly became more threatening. The team’s energy increased, its ball movement improved, and within 20 minutes, Fulham had turned the scoreline upside down.

At forward, Dempsey is a fine passer who can drop back, win the ball and pass it off to a teammate to launch a counterattack. He can also do this:

And this:

Arguably, this would be an easier decision if Nigel de Jong hadn’t broken Stuart Holden’s leg in a friendly last March. Holden was the obvious choice to fill in on the right wing, where Dempsey has been playing for the USA. Holden is also back in training but might not see much playing time in Bolton’s last two games.

Other potential options on the wing aren’t so hot. DaMarcus Beasley was terrible at the Confederations Cup. Jose Francisco Torres and Benny Feilhaber are central midfielders who would be playing out of position on the wing. Sasha Kljestan is making a case for himself, but nobody projects him as a starter yet. Freddy Adu is playing well in Greece right now, but he’s fallen out of favor with Bradley.

The question then becomes whether it’s better to shift Dempsey up front and find someone else to play on the wing, or leave Dempsey where he is and play someone else at forward. The eventual answer to this question may depend entirely on Holden. If he’s available for the World Cup, however, the answer at forward should be obvious for Bradley. Clint Dempsey is a proven goal scorer with better ball skills and passing ability than any other option at forward — including Altidore. In the wake of Dempsey’s Europa League performances, playing anyone else at forward seems like a waste.

Put Deuce up top. He’s the answer.