2) Dempsey still USA’s best attacker
Ahead of Klinsmann’s team selection for the Copa America Centenario, there were calls for Clint Dempsey to be dropped from the final 23-man squad. The Seattle Sounders midfielder was lacking in form and there were beliefs he did not fit into the system. However, since the last 3 games, he has quelled all the doubts.
The US skipper was quiet in the 2-0 opening game defeat to Colombia but has raised his game thereafter. Dempsey was one of the scorers in the 4-0 hammering of Costa Rica, and then sealed the hosts’ passage into the last 16 after condemning Paraguay to a 1-0 defeat. However, his biggest contribution thus far came in their latest outing as the 33-year-old scored and assisted in his side’s 2-1 victory.
Dempsey opened the scoring with a brilliant header 15 yards out, and then turned a provider for Zardes in the second half. Klinsmann’s decision to play him as the second striker in a more conservative 4-4-2 approach has reaped rewards as the USMNT forward has gone on to prove his worth.
