Bradley will be the 16th American male to make 100 worldwide appearances, matching Tony Meola and Joe-Max Moore at the century mark. They had a few good looks in the final few minutes but Nicaraguan goalkeeper Justo Lorente did a phenomenal job to keep his net clear.
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With his sixth and seventh career Gold Cup goals, he validated his coach’s decision, pushing the Americans’ record in Gold Cup openers to 13-0-0. The match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Connecticut and will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1.
JOZY ALTIDORE-Didn’t get a lot of service so he struggled to make an impact. There it rebounded off the defense and back to a recovering Altidore, who fired a shot at goal. Dempsey pounced on the ball heading into the back of the net and giving the US the spark they desperately needed. Seattle Sounders forward Clint Dempsey scored both goals as the U.S. MNT moved to the top of Group C after the first round of matches.
The US enters the competition in Group A along with Honduras, Haiti, and Panama.
American goalkeeper Guzan was tested early by Honduras. Guzan was challenged from all angles, but he rose to the occasion and saved every attempt, including a one-on-one opportunity in the third minute against a weaving Anthony Lozano and a 30-yard shot from midfielder Andy Najar that nearly squeaked underneath the crossbar.
His leap from in front wasn’t ideal but it was high enough to get His head on a piece of the ball and deflect it past a flatfooted Escober in the 63rd minute.
The US will now turn their attention to Haiti, who split the points with Panama in the early match, on Friday in Foxborough.
In the midfield, Klinsmann opted for Mix Diskerud in the holding role, flanked by Graham Zusi on the left, and DeAndre Yedlin on the right, with Michael Bradley in the number 10 role. And Dempsey did it in a fashion that isn’t his typical self.
Panama head coach Hernan Dario Gomez was visibly frustrated following a 1-1 draw with Haiti in the opening match of the CONCACAF Gold Cup on Tuesday.
Honduras cut the lead to 2-1 in the 70th minute on a goal by substitute Carlos Discua. Dempsey has now scored at least one goal in four editions of the tournament.
There was one last chance for Honduras coming in stoppage time after Bryan Acosta headed the ball for Maynor Figueroa who sent his effort over the bar. At 27 years, 341 days, he is the fourth-youngest American after Landon Donovan (26-96), Cobi Jones (27-239) and Marcelo Balboa (27-320).
Canada will hope Benito Floro can bring about success at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, starting against El Salvador, as the former Real Madrid man takes charge of his first tournament at the helm.
With his start, Ventura Alvarado is now officially cap tied to the USA. The USA beat Germany and Netherlands in recent matches, and have an even stronger and more experienced squad for this year’s Gold Cup as it looks to defend its title from 2013.
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You know Jurgen Klinsmann ain’t havin’ none of that this time around.
