Through 45 minutes, the United States men’s national team looks like a real, bonafide soccer team again, and the guys who are supposed to get it done are doing just that.
Clint Dempsey scored early off a play keyed by Geoff Cameron and Gyasi Zardes, and Cameron turned scorer off a Michael Bradley free kick as the USMNT built a 2-0 lead in a must-have CONCACAF World Cup qualifying match against Guatemala.
[ MORE: USMNT announces two friendlies, location for WC qualifier ]
The Yanks needed an early goal to feel good, and the former captain took care of that after 11 minutes.
Geoff Cameron played a long ball into the 18 and two Guatemalan defenders were sucked into covering a streaking Gyasi Zardes. The ball hit Zardes’ shoulder and dropped into the path of Dempsey, who buried his shot past Paulo Motta. 1-0.
It was Dempsey’s 14th goal of World Cup qualifying, moving him past Landon Donovan for the most in USMNT history.
GOAL USA! Clint Dempsey. 1-0. #USAvGUA https://t.co/kmVJMdTe1x
— Ben Jata (@Ben_Jata) March 29, 2016
Guatemala got its first shot on goal, not a troubling one, in the 34th minute. It wasn’t a sign of things to come, as Bradley sent a gorgeous free kick into the 18 where Cameron nodded the ball past Motta.
Geoff Cameron gets his fourth #USMNT goal, all scored with his head.
— Paul Carr (@PCarrESPN) March 30, 2016
It’s a good thing the score was 2-0 when Bobby Wood missed an absolute sitter just before halftime. The Hawaii-born striker burst past the Guatemala line to bring a chance down, beat the keeper but missed his shot in comical fashion (Not comical for Wood, mind you).