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United States 2-1 Ecuador: Dempsey leads USA into Copa semifinals

By on June 16, 2016

The progress of the United States national team has been slow and not the least straightforward under Jürgen Klinsmann, but moments like these make the wait very much worth it. The United States went soaring into the Copa Centenario semifinals with a 2-1 victory over Ecuador, and the roar of Century Link Field on ninety minutes silenced the national team critics.

Seattle Sounders forward Clint Dempsey scored a goal and set up another in front of his home crowd of nearly 50,000 to lead the United States to their first semifinal berth in a major tournament since 1995.

Although the United States suffered a lukewarm build-up to the Copa and were outclassed 2-0 by Colombia in the opening game of the tournament, Klinsmann has finally seemed to find a winning formula. The German manager started with the exact same lineup for the fourth consecutive game, bar Matt Besler’s direct replacement for the suspended DeAndre Yedlin, and his team successfully saw off Ecuador after a chaotic finale.

The United States carried their momentum from two successive victories into a bright start, with Bobby Wood weaving chaos through Ecuador’s back line. It was somewhat helter-skelter from the tournament hosts but they wrestled their way into control of the match. Dempsey made the most of their promising start in the twenty-second minute, rising up to power a thunderous header into the top corner to put the United States in front.

The US continued to threaten — Wood and Alejandro Bedoya both missed good chances — but a double sending off near the hour mark threatened to turn the tables on Klinsmann’s game. Antonio Valencia was first sent off for a rash hack on Bedoya, only for Jones to punch an opponent in the following scrum and also earn his marching orders.

The red cards emboldened Ecuador to take advantage of the open space and push for an equalizer, with Jefferson Montero and Michael Arroyo both narrowly missing the target with two dangerous efforts on either side of the hour mark. Ecuador also saw a breakaway goal chalked off for offside.

Yet Gyasi Zardes capitalized on a counter-attack to double the US’ lead. Matt Besler crossed in from the left and the ball fell kindly for Dempsey on the left side of the box after Zardes won it in the air. Dempsey then muscled off his marker and cut the ball across goal. Perhaps the ball would have trickled into the side netting and Dempsey would have pulled himself within four goals of Landon Donovan’s all-time goalscoring record for the United States, but Zardes emphatically slammed the ball into the back of the net at the far post to make sure of the goal.

However, the atmosphere got decidedly more nervous in Seattle after Arroyo tucked away a crossed free-kick on the edge of the box to give Ecuador a lifeline. Ecuador’s onslaught began with fifteen minutes to go and after Enner Valencia headed wide in the seventy-seventh minute, Walter Avoyí slammed a wicked shot inches over the crossbar.

Ecuador coach Gustavo Quinteros was sent off in a hectic four minutes of stoppage time, but he managed to elongate his slow walk down the tunnel long enough to watch his side come tantalizingly close from a scrappy corner as the clock wound down.

Finally, though, Ecuador were made to rue their missed opportunities as the United States saw out what was one of the best victories of Klinsmann’s tenure.

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.