Jürgen Klinsmann called for courage and his players gloriously delivered.
A stellar display from Clint Dempsey in his own Seattle backyard helped Klinsmann earn his first major tournament knock-out triumph: the 2-1 victory over Ecuador on Thursday night sends the US to within one game of the Copa América Centenario final.
They will play either Argentina or Venezuela in Houston on Tuesday and, on this evidence, will give either a serious run for their money.
Dempsey’s 52nd international strike – his third goal of the tournament – early in the first-half settled home nerves before the evergreen 33-year-old crossed for Gyasi Zardes to roll in the killer second on 65 minutes.
The LA Galaxy forward’s goal was crucial in ensuring a match which threatened to boil over was kept just out of Ecuador’s reach as heads began to get lost in a red mist. Manchester United’s Antonio Valencia and Jermaine Jones were both sent-off in an unseemly, crazy incident five minutes after half-time which ratcheted up the intensity levels at a raucous CenturyLink Field.
Valencia’s sly kick on Alejandro Bedoya saw Jones react by landing a punch, albeit a weak one, on the winger’s chin. It sparked mayhem and, on reflection, neither player will be rushing to watch a DVD of the incident.
Ecuador, for the most part, were disappointing and really only came alive once the terrier-like Michael Arroyo had pulled one back on 74 minutes. All of a sudden, the US looked fallible and were ultimately thankful for the wastefulness of West Ham’s Enner Valencia who spurned two gilt-edged chances.
The emotion was laid bare on Klinsmann’s face at the nerve-shredding denouement, the normally placid German becoming involved in a slanging match with Ecuador players who were beginning to lose their heads as the clock ticked towards 90 minutes.
Yet the evening ultimately belonged to the US who were bold in attack and resolute for long periods at the back. Klinsmann demanded they push forward and show no fear in what was a true test of their talents - and so it proved.
If American soccer is to make the strides so many believe need to happen then nights, and battling displays like this, will need to be replicated with increasing regularity. With DeAndre Yedlin suspended following his red card against Paraguay, Klinsmann was forced into his first starting line-up change for this tournament. Incredibly, his consistent selection was the first time in 86 years that a US coach had stuck with the same players for three matches in succession. Matt Besler, of Sporting Kansas City, was brought in despite Klinsmann hinting pre-match that veteran Michael Orozco would start.
The surprise shedding of his Tinkerman persona however proved the German owned a wholehearted belief in plans to lead his side deep into the Copa and beyond. As he skipped and high-fived his way to the dug-out before kick-off it showed, in Seattle anyhow, support for him remained.
It should continue nationwide after this.
“They are understanding what the next level is all about,” Klinsmann said. “The team performance was outstanding. I really hope the country gets behind us for the semi-final. The support we have received has been fantastic. This is big time.”
Much relied on Dempsey performing on home turf. The Sounders forward lies second in the all-time goalscorers record behind Landon Donovan following his opener here. His experience of the last major tournament run in Brazil, along with captain Michael Bradley and Jones, has stood the US in fine stead over the past two weeks allowing younger guns such as Bobby Wood and Zardes to make stern claims for the future.
The opening stages were cagey. Both sides were standing off, waiting to see who’d show their hand first. Geoff Cameron headed wide on 15 minutes before Wood was unable to get enough traction on the ball to send it past Ecuador goalkeeper Maximo Banguera – the first openings of a match which had failed to ignite from the very start.
Cameron has
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