The USMNT had zero fun in its Copa América Centenario opener. After falling behind by one goal early and then conceding a penalty before halftime, the team stumbled to one of their more lackluster results of recent memory. National team veterans Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey and Jermaine Jones were among those most heavily criticized after the final whistle.
The USMNT’s old guys redeemed themselves against Costa Rica
Clint Dempsey, Jermaine Jones and Michael Bradley faced calls for their benching after the Copa America opener. It’s a good thing Jurgen Klinsmann stuck to his guns.
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Bradley committed frequent turnovers, one of which led directly to penalty when DeAndre Yedlin was whistled for a handball seconds later. Dempsey, playing in a center forward role he’s not well-suited to, did little to bolster the attack. Jones struggled to add anything going forward, so coach Jurgen Klinsmann subbed him off after 66 minutes, much to Jones’ dismay.
Fans clamored for all three players to be benched for the team's next match against Costa Rica in favor of a new generation. Klinsmann didn't listen, and it's a good thing he didn't. The aging trio that struggled against Colombia in the opener did a complete 180. They were the stars of their team's complete domination over Costa Rica.
Despite a shaky start against Los Ticos, the United States managed to get forward quickly. Seven minutes in, Bobby Wood was shoved in the penalty area, and Dempsey converted from the spot for his 50th goal in U.S. colors. The 33-year-old stayed active in the attack after that, notching two assists to go with his goal. The first came in the 37th minute after making a long run through the attacking half and sending a pass to Jones, who scored from long range. The second assist came just five minutes later when Dempsey found Wood on the edge of the penalty area.
Jones and Bradley bossed the midfield, making all the right passes to bolster the busy United States attack. Instead of turning the ball over, the captain kept it under control with tighter passing. Bradley had an 87 percent pass completion rate against Costa Rica, a large improvement from his 78 percent mark against Colombia.
Jones was the perfect complement to Bradley, and served as a competent go-between from Bradley to the forwards. He managed to shut down Costa Rican attacks before they even got started, winning eight duels as compared to the five he won against Colombia. Jones coupled his goal with a Man of the Match award.
As much as the match was a team-wide effort, the 4-0 result against Costa Rica was also a statement from the USMNT’s longest serving players that they are not ready to be replaced. When the likes of Bradley, Dempsey, and Jones perform at their best, good things still happen for the Americans.
This current iteration of the USMNT lives and dies by the performances of its veterans. As long as those old guys continue to perform the way they did against Costa Rica, their team can beat Paraguay, and maybe even their quarterfinal opponent.
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