Clint Dempsey’s first international hat-trick fired defending champions the US over Cuba 6-0 on Saturday, propelling the hosts to the semi-finals of the Gold Cup.
The 32-year-old former Fulham striker nodded in the opening goal in the fourth minute, tucked in a penalty in the 64th minute and scored on a sliding right-footed flick in the 78th to become the top scorer in the biennial North American championship.
“It feels good. I have gotten them for my club before. Obviously, I’m fortunate. I wouldn’t be able to put the ball in the back of the net without my teammates,” Dempsey said. “You always want to score as many goals as you can, but the main thing is we won the game.”
Photo: USA Today
By routing their long-time Cold War political rivals before 37,994 fans at the home of the Baltimore Ravens, the US advanced to a semi-final on Wednesday in Atlanta, Georgia, against Jamaica, 1-0 winners over Haiti in the later quarter-final.
“We are definitely the underdogs,” Jamaica’s German coach Winfried Schaefer said of the clash with a US squad also coached by a German, Juergen Klinsmann. “This is difficult.”
Dempsey’s six Gold Cup goals make him the man to catch for the Golden Boot. The Seattle Sounders forward’s 47 career goals put him second on the all-time US list, 10 shy of Landon Donovan’s record.
“He’s hungry for goals and he has two more meals,” Klinsmann said of Dempsey, adding with a laugh of the player’s first hat-trick for the US: “It took him long enough.”
Striker Gyasi Zardes scored in the 14th minute, Aron Johannsson chipped in over Cuba goalkeeper Diosvelis Guerra in the 32nd and Omar Gonzalez netted another in the 45th as the US won their most lopsided Gold Cup triumph ever against a Cuba side depleted by defections.
“The players who were not here for us, they do not mean anything to us. They have chosen another path,” Cuba coach Raul Gonzalez said. “Our players were ready, but in the end they couldn’t keep up the pace.”
Ongoing work by US and Cuban political leaders to restore diplomatic relations is vital for both nations, Gonzalez said, whose team one day might not have defectors.
“I believe that what our two countries are doing is very important,” Gonzalez said. “For us in football it’s very important. We could improve because of this.”
Five players were absent from the Cuba squad following reports of defections. The team also had to deal with visa troubles at the beginning of the tournament.
“Credit to them for dealing with the situations they had to deal with in getting here,” Dempsey said. “We were sharp from the start. We knew we had to put in a professional performance and we did.”
The US, trying to match Mexico’s record six Gold Cup crowns, stretched their winning streak over Cuba to nine matches and improved to 9-1-1 overall.
A title repeat would see the US clinch a berth in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia. They must play this year’s Gold Cup champions for the spot if they do not reclaim the trophy.
“The confidence grows over time as the tournament goes on,” Dempsey said. “Hopefully, our best ball is yet to come.”
Cuba, ranked 70 spots below the US at 104th in the world settled for matching their best Gold Cup run by reaching the last eight. Cuba were ousted in 2003 and 2013 by the US.
Jamaica won the first Gold Cup knockout match between Caribbean rivals on a Giles Barnes goal in the seventh minute and a stalwart defensive effort to deny Haiti an equalizer.
“I kind of looked up and didn’t really see anyone in box, and I thought just hit it hard and low,” Barnes said. “The coach had been telling me to shoot more.”
The Houston Dynamo forward scored from an acute angle between the legs of goalkeeper Johnny Placide as Jamaica reached their first Gold Cup semi-final since 1998.
The Reggae Boyz went ahead when Crystal Palace’s Adrian Mariappa ran onto a pass over the defense that landed near the goal-line and cut the ball back to the 26-year-old Barnes, who was born in London and played for England under-19, before switching his allegiance to Jamaica.
He took a touch and scored his second international goal with a shot that deflected off the inside of Placide’s right ankle.
In an end-to-end match, Haiti had a great chance to draw level, but Kervens Belfort missed with a diving header in second-half stoppage-time.
“We demonstrated this evening an enormous ability, enormous capacity on the field for 90 minutes,” Haiti coach Cesar Ramos said.
Jamaica were missing Vancouver forward Darren Mattocks and Dallas midfielder Je-Vaughn Watson, both suspended for accumulating yellow cards.
Houston defender Jermaine Taylor was dropped from the squad after injuring a leg during Tuesday last week’s win over El Salvador.
Schaefer, the German coach hired by Jamaica two years ago, said Taylor would be staying around and might cook for his teammates ahead of the US game.
“That is not a joke, believe me,” Schaefer said. “Yesterday was chicken and fish. Today [is] fish and chicken. Tomorrow, chicken and fish, but it’s good food... The Jamaica people know.”
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