Dempsey nears breaking U.S. goals mark
Texas native leads Americans into semifinal with Costa Rica
ARLINGTON — Clint Dempsey is back in his home state of Texas, one goal away from a national scoring record for the U.S. team that is one win from playing in another CONCACAF Gold Cup final.
The Americans play a semifinal game Saturday night against Costa Rica in a stadium synonymous with American football — the home of the Dallas Cowboys and where the first College Football Playoff title game was played three seasons ago.
That is about 180 miles from Dempsey’s hometown of Nacogdoches.
“It’s always great to be home and play in front of family and friends, especially for a big game,” Dempsey said Friday. “I have a lot of great memories of playing in Dallas as a kid, and I’m proud to represent Nacogdoches. Being from there made me who I am today.”
Chasing Dovovan
Dempsey, one goal from matching Landon Donovan’s American record of 57 national team goals, wasn’t part of soccer’s only Gold Cup games at the $1.2 billion AT&T Stadium.
In a 2013 semifinal game there when the Americans were on the way to their fifth Gold Cup championship, they beat Honduras 3-1.
Donovan scored twice in that game — his 55th and 56th goals for the national team — and assisted on the other goal. About two months later, Donovan scored his final goal in a World Cup qualifier win over Mexico.
Within a week after Costa Rica beat the U.S. team 4-0 in World Cup qualifying last November, Jurgen Klinsmann was out as the U.S. coach and Bruce Arena was rehired to the position he had been fired from a decade earlier.
Costa Rica coach Oscar Ramirez said Friday that Arena has seemingly had a positive impact.
“They look more relaxed in terms of what they’re doing on the field,” Ramirez said through an interpreter.
Jozy Altidore, Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Darlington Nagbe and goalkeeper Tim Howard were added to the lineup before a 2-0 win over El Salvador in the quarterfinals Wednesday night in Philadelphia.
Dempsey set up Eric Lichaj’s goal in extra time before halftime to make it 2-0 against El Salvador.
That game was Dempsey’s 135th appearance for the national team, trailing only Cobi Jones (164) and Landon Donovan (157) on the U.S. list.
Three from FC Dallas
Dempsey isn’t the only player with Texas ties with the U.S. team.
Three players from FC Dallas, the MLS team that plays its home games in Frisco about 40 miles from the big stadium, are on the roster: Kellyn Acosta, Matt Hedges and Jesse Gonzalez.