The result was 2-1 for the U.S. and while they could boast of victory and entry into the semifinal, The ineligibility of Antonio Valencia (red carded) Bedoya and Wood receiving second Yellow cards, all displaying acts of immature players and not realising that their team will take the field without them for the next match.
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With a win over Ecuador on Thursday, the United States men’s national team is headed to Houston for Tuesday’s Copa America Centenario semifinal.
It was the third straight game in this tournament in which Dempsey scored his side’s opening goal, and this consistency is nothing new.
Colombia faces Peru tonight in front of a sold-out MetLife Stadium in a quarterfinal Copa America Centenario matchup neither team expected.
Dempsey would help double the lead 20 minutes into the second half, drawing two defenders to him near the left post before pushing the ball across the goalmouth to Gyasi Zardes, who tapped it in.
Michael Arroyo scored for Ecuador in the 74th minute and Enner Valencia missed a pair of great chances moment later on a pair of headers. The USMNT won’t know their specific opponent until Argentina and Venezuela play their quarterfinal game on Saturday, but Argentina are the favorites in that one. Jones received a questionable red card in the win, while Bedoya and Wood each picked up their second yellow cards of the tournament.
Peru face a tough assignment if they are to achieve that objective and, indeed, the enormity of the task facing Gareca’s charges is reflected by Paddy Power’s chunky 11/2 (6.50) quote for the Peruvians to prevail inside 90 minutes.
Klinsmann was furious at the manner of Jones’ dismissal, which he branded “an absolute joke”. Peru scored just four goals (one against Haiti) in the group stage, and coming back from behind could prove to be very hard for them against a pretty good defense. “When the game gets turned on its head a bit and we have to suffer and be willing to do whatever it takes to walk off winners, the atmosphere really pushes us in a big way”.
On the first goal, Dempsey played the ball ahead to Wood, who dribbled and then passed to Jones.
It was an outcome that nearly certainly could have been avoided, too – Manager Jose Pekerman retained one solitary player to face Costa Rica from the team’s starting lineup against Paraguay, employing an entirely different four-man backline and a new formation.
“Obviously we’re going to miss Ale and we’re going to miss Bobby for the semifinal”.
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Unfortunately, it wasn’t all celebration for the U.S.in the victory. My expectation is that it will be Graham Zusi, Kyle Beckerman, and Michael Orozco, but Jurgen Klinsmann is known to make surprising changes in his starting lineup from time to time. Even if they stopped now they could say that they’ve achieved greater global success than most American teams before them.
