Is Clint Dempsey Facing More Pressure as USMNT Start Gold Cup Knockout Stage?

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: July 16, 2015

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As the United States men's national team prepares for its CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinal showdown with Cuba in Baltimore on Saturday, there is a different composition to the group at the forward position.

With Jozy Altidore leaving the squad after the group stage, Clint Dempsey is the only experienced international forward left on the roster. The scorer of 44 goals for the Yanks, three of which came in the group phase of the 2015 Gold Cup, will now be under more pressure to find the net and help the USMNT advance to the semifinals. 

Dempsey has 116 international appearances and 44 goals to his name entering the match against Cuba, while the other four players listed as forwards have a combined 14 goals in 56 caps. Although each of those four forwards has put together a solid scoring record at club level, playing on the international stage is a completely different animal. 

Just ask Chris Wondolowski, who has had an admirable career in Major League Soccer, how difficult finding the back of the net can be while playing for the national team. He boasts multi-goal matches against Belize, Cuba and South Korea, but he is famous for his miss against Belgium at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Aron Johannsson and Gyasi Zardes are impressive young prospects, but with a combined four strikes between them, it is hard to put a ton of trust in starting one or both of them up top without the influence of Dempsey nearby. The pair looked fine in the second half against Haiti, but it was Dempsey who eventually finished off a superb cross from Zardes. 



Then there is Alan Gordon, who has made a career out of scoring late goals for the San Jose Earthquakes and the LA Galaxy in MLS. Although he is good for late-game scenarios, there is no possible way Gordon can be effective in the final third for 90 minutes. 



That brings us back to Dempsey, who has been the most reliable s...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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