Captain America, Clint Dempsey did it again, scoring the game's only goal in the 47th minute and the United States defeated Haiti 1-0 in the second match of Group A.
With the victory and the three points, the United States clinches the group, and will advance to the knockout stages next weekend.
The U.S. got off to a slow start as the Stars and Stripes were stymied by Haiti's hard fought attack and physical play. Haiti pressured team USA's back four repeatedly throughout the first half and in the second half.
Team USA thought they had scored the game's first goal in the 35th minute when Aron Johannsson connected on a loose ball in the center of the box, but the forward was ruled offside by the referee, a call that upon further review proved to be incorrect.
After a scoreless first half, that provided little to no opportunities for the U.S., head coach Jurgen Klinsmann substituted the LA Galaxy's Gyasi Zardes for Jozy Altidore at halftime.
The move worked wonderfully as Zardes started in the second half and delivered a dime in the center of the box to Dempsey in the 47th minute. It was the U.S. team captain's third goal of the tournament as the Texas native has scored all three goals for team USA thus far.
He wanted the players to play more forward," Zardes said of his head coach. "It was a phenomenal ball from Fabi, and a beautiful cross to Clint."
The trio of Dempsey, Zardes and Johannsson was exciting to watch in the second half as they provided tremendous pace and energy in creating many opportunities for each other throughout the second half, including on the game's only goal.
"The more experience he has, he continues to show he's a guy who can make a difference," Midfielder Michael Bradley said of Zardes. "We'll count on him to continue to make some big plays for us."
The U.S. roster looked a lot different than the team that defeated Honduras 2-1 on Tuesday. Haiti was coming off a scoreless draw with Panama, but the minnows of the group had plenty of confidence coming into the match against the reigning Gold Cup champions.
Kyle Beckerman did not start, and instead came on to the pitch for the final 10 minutes to help close the game out defensively.
There was plenty of tension and drama during the final ten minutes as Haiti hastily looked for the equalizer. Adding to the intrigue, was the fact that the USMNT had allowed 8 goals in the final 10 minutes during their first nine games of 2015.
The win and the three points for the U.S. now mean they have clinched the top seed in Group A. Currently, through two matches, the standings look like this:
United States: 6 Points
Panama: 2 Points
Haiti: 1 Point
Honduras: 1 Point
The United States will next play Panama on Monday in a rematch of the 2013 Gold Cup Final.
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