Captain Clint Dempsey scored two goals in the second half as the US held off a late comeback on Sunday for a 4-3 victory over second-ranked Germany in their international friendly.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Dempsey netted his 34th and 35th international goals in his 96th appearance for the US, moving past Eric Wynalda into second on the all-time US scoring list, 14 shy of Landon Donovan’s record.
“Having a player like Clint Dempsey on your team is just a privilege,” US coach Jurgen Klinsmann said. “This is one of the best players in US history.”
Photo: AFP
Former Germany star Klinsmann guided the US against a Germany side he managed in the 2006 World Cup, a team now guided by his former assistant, Joachim Loew.
Dempsey’s brace gave the US a dream 4-1 lead in the US soccer federation’s centennial celebration match just four days after they struggled in a 4-2 loss to Belgium.
“The game with Belgium was simply too embarrassing to them,” Loew said. “The US team approached the game with passion and commitment. I was not surprised with the quality of the US team.”
A Germany side missing many of its top stars battled back with late goals from Max Kruse and Julian Draxler, but could not net the equalizer, falling to 6-3 against the US, their first loss to a US side since losing 2-0 at the 1999 Confederations Cup in Mexico.
Germany substitute Heiko Westermann’s header in the 51st minute off a corner-kick from Kruse pulled the visitors within 2-1, but the US answered in the 60th minute, Jozy Altidore playing the ball to his right into the penalty area and Dempsey hammering a shot into the back of the net.
Dempsey struck again four minutes later, firing a left-footed rocket from just outside the penalty area for a 4-1 lead.
Kruse pulled one back for Germany in the 79th minute and Draxler trimmed the margin to 4-3 in the 81st, taking a rebound off a Sydney Sam shot that US goalkeeper Tim Howard sprawled to deflect and tapping the ball unchallenged into the net.
“We still have to hold ourselves to a higher standard and not allow those two late goals,” Dempsey said. “We’re not happy with the number of goals we have allowed in the last two games. At the same time, we take a lot of confidence from beating a very good team.”
Germany’s Per Mertesacker missed a golden opportunity from the heart of the penalty area in the 10th minute when one-on-one with Howard, pushing his shot just wide of the goal to the right of the Everton goalkeeper.
Altidore gave the US the lead in the 13th minute, blasting a cross from Graham Zuzi with a left-footed volley into the back of the net.
A 16th-minute blunder by Germany goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen gave the US a 2-0 lead. Ter Stegen misplayed a pass from defender Benedikt Howedes and the ball rolled off his foot and across the goal-line.
In the 24th minute, Germany captain Miroslav Klose took a breakaway pass and flicked a right-footed shot past a helpless Howard, but the SS Lazio striker was offside and the effort was disallowed as Germany trailed 2-0 at halftime.
Klose remains one goal shy of Gerd Mueller’s all-time Germany record of 68 goals.
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