PORTLAND, Ore. -- United States captain Clint Dempsey wants to keep on playing for the national team for at least another two years.
The 31-year-old, who led the U.S. with two goals in four games at the World Cup in Brazil earlier this summer, didn't address his international future in the wake of the Americans' round of 16 loss to Belgium last month.
But on Monday, speaking at a news conference two days before Wednesday's MLS All-Star game here at Providence Park (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2/WatchESPN), Dempsey said he hopes to represent his country through 2016, when the USA will host a special 100th anniversary edition of the Copa America, South America's continental championship.
"I would like to continue playing for the U.S. team, but that depends on performing and getting called in," Dempsey said in response to a question from ESPNFC.
"For me, I would like definitely to push to play in Copa America. It's a tournament that I always valued and wanted to participate in."
It's not all up to Dempsey, of course -- the Texan will be 33 when the 16-team event kicks off. A day after the U.S. was eliminated in Brazil, U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann indicated that he would blood less experienced players during upcoming friendly matches.
"Over the next year we want to see the young players," Klinsmann said on July 2, adding that the focus will be on building toward next summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup. Winning that competition for the second time in three years for the would automatically qualify the Yanks for the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia -- the dress rehearsal for the main event there the following June.
"Come the Gold Cup, we want to go with the strongest team possible," Klinsmann said. "Then we'll see how many of the more experienced players are still in it or how many are out."
Which group Dempsey, the only American to score at three World Cups, will fall into remains to be seen.
"It's not my decision whether I get called in or not," Dempsey said on Monday. "Jurgen has to decide if I'm still part of his plans or not and we'll go from there."