United States

Dempsey scores twice on headers, U.S. edge Honduras in Gold Cup opener

Published Jul. 7, 2015 11:30 p.m. ET

Kyle McCarthy

FRISCO, Texas

If there were any lingering doubts about the perilous road ahead in this CONCACAF Gold Cup, this engaging opening match dispelled them once and for all. Honduras placed the United States men's national team under duress for significant stretches in this game and reinforced the intensity required to cope with these demands. In the end, two old standbys — set-piece prowess and Clint Dempsey — delivered the expected 2-1 victory to open Group A play on Tuesday night.

Dempsey relieved the pressure of a difficult opening period by nodding home a rebound after 25 minutes to place the Americans in front. He doubled the lead shortly after the hour with a prototypical back-post header from an enticing cross by Michael Bradley. Carlos Discua rounded off a neat Honduran move after 69 minutes to thrust the outcome in doubt once more.

The final 20 minutes underscored both the exacting nature of these matches and the Americans’ ability to somehow cope with them. This performance did not hit the heights Klinsmann hoped to reach in this first fixture, but it delivered three points in the end and propelled the U.S. to the top of Group A after one full round of group play nevertheless.

"It's not going to be all easy," U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said. "It was not easy at all tonight. It was a very tight game. It was what we expected: a very good Honduras side that knows how to play, knows how to create chances, knows how to create problems. And that's what they did. But, still, we come out with three points and we have a very good start into this Gold Cup."

As a base, it supplied an ideal introduction to the challenges ahead. There are no illusions about the assignment now. There is ample room for improvement as the second Group A match against Haiti beckons on Friday (live, 8:30p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports Go), but there is also a renewed appreciation for the ability to slug out the back and forth and secure the desired result. It will prove vital as this tournament progresses and as other teams put them under pressure as the Hondurans did for stretches on this night.

Honduras burst forward from the opening whistle with intent and vigor. The decision to press high at the outset caught the Americans by surprise and prompted nervy reactions in the opening few minutes. U.S. goalkeeper Brad Guzan produced an important save on Anthony Lozano’s angled drive after just three minutes after John Brooks overcommitted toward a throw and Lozano sliced into the resulting space.

Guzan found himself under more duress than expected in the early stages as the U.S. struggled to come to grips with the game. Andy Najar posed most of the problems with his incisiveness on the left, while the Americans resorted to hurried clearances and last-ditch maneuvers to relieve pressure time and time again.

The state of play prompted Klinsmann to flatten his midfield — DeAndre Yedlin and Gyasi Zardes pushed further toward the touchline with Kyle Beckerman carrying out his usual firefighting work alongside Bradley — and steer the side toward steadier ground. Those efforts aided the cause a bit, but the real turning point arrived from a set piece after 25 minutes.

From the moment Bradley swung his cross toward the near post from a short corner, the Hondurans were hopelessly adrift. Jozy Altidore glanced his header toward the far post without making the desired contact. Henry Figueroa snatched at his attempted clearance to send it back across the goal area for Altidore to collect. Altidore provoked a fine save from Donis Escober with his low drive, but Dempsey drifted intelligently into space six yards from goal and reaped the rewards for his movement by nodding home his 42nd international goal.

Honduras responded to conceding by allowing its compact 5-4-1 shape to stretch and ceding more time and space in midfield. The revised dynamic created more operating room for Bradley, making his 100th appearance for the national team, and paved the way for a potential second just after the half-hour.

Fabian Johnson embarked on one of his trademark forward runs, the sort of infield run into the channel that gives teams fits. He mined the space well and then slid an inviting ball into Yedlin’s run behind the line. Yedlin turned his shot on goal, but Escober blocked his effort.

Najar smashed over the bar as he mounted his seemingly one-man effort to restore parity, but the balance had tipped before the interval. Honduras presented only an intermittent threat after play resumed and eventually shipped a second after more suspect defending on a set piece.

Bradley once again played the critical ball into the box. His menacing, inswinging delivery from the left arrived in that prime spot where Escober stayed rooted to his line and the defenders whirled around in a vain attempt to clear it. Dempsey ghosted past his marker and nodded home the second to pull the Americans clear.

The two-goal advantage lasted just five minutes as Discua benefited from tidy combination work to reduce the deficit. Lozano made an intelligent run to pull Brooks out of his berth and crack open a passing lane for Wilmer Crisanto to play Discua toward goal. Discua navigated around Ventura Alvarado’s attempt to close the space and threw his side a lifeline with a composed finish.

Discua’s retort prompted a return to that early push and pull where the Americans found themselves placed under considerable pressure and tasked with the need to cope with it. There were occasional opportunities to break forward and some sequences in possession, but the final 20 minutes mostly involved a lot of hard work in the defensive third.

It did not always look pretty and it required Eddy Hernandez to scuff an opportunity to turn into a vacated net in the final 10 minutes, but they scraped through. The entire night reinforced the earnest, gritty road ahead for the defending champions. And their ability to persevere on this night will serve them well as they pursue it.