US captain Clint Dempsey scored two goals in the second half and the Americans held off a late comeback on Sunday for a 4-3 victory over second-ranked Germany in an international football friendly.
Tottenham striker Dempsey netted his 34th and 35th international goals in his 96th appearance for the USA, moving past Eric Wynalda into second on the all-time US scoring list, 14 shy of Landon Donovan’s record.
“Having a player like Clint Dempsey on your team is just a privlege,” said US coach Jurgen Klinsmann.
“This is one of the best players in US history. He has the hunger and the drive. He sends a message to his own players and also to the opponents.” Former German star Klinsmann guided the Americans against a German side he managed in the 2006 World Cup, a team now guided by his former assistant, Joachim Loew.
Dempsey’s brace gave the Americans a dream 4-1 lead in the US Soccer Federation’s centennial celebration match just four days after they struggled in a 4-2 loss to Belgium.
“The game with Belgium was simply too embarassing to them,” Loew said. “The US team approached the game with passion and commitment. I was not surprised with the quality of the US team.”
A German side missing many of its top stars battled back on late goals by Max Kruse and Julain Draxler, but could not net the equaliser.