USMNT advances to Copa America quarter-finals with win over Paraguay
The United States men's national team is heading to the Copa America Centenario quarter-final stage after defeating Paraguay 1-0 at Lincoln Financial Field, with Clint Dempsey scoring the only goal of the match to secure at least a second-place finish in Group A.
As a result, Colombia also advances, while Paraguay and Costa Rica are eliminated from the competition.
Jurgen Klinsmann's side needed a win or at least a draw in order to secure a berth in the quarter-finals, having lost to Colombia 2-0 in the first match of Group A before beating Costa Rica 4-0 in the second fixture.
And with Dempsey's goal in the 28th minute, the Stars and Stripes took a 1-0 lead that they held for the remainder of the match.
Young defender DeAndre Yedlin complicated the matter by picking up a pair of yellow cards in the span of one minute in the second half. The U.S. stood firm despite having one less player, with John Brooks and Brad Guzan in particular pulling off individual heroics to keep Paraguay off the score sheet.
As a result, the U.S. advances into the knockout stage, currently top of Group A tied with Colombia at six points; should Colombia defeat Costa Rica later in the evening, the U.S. would finish second in Group A.
That would pit the host country against likely Group B winners Brazil in the quarter-final stage, though the permutations could also see Peru or Ecuador top Group B too.
Dempsey's goal also marks his 51st in international competition, putting him six goals behind Landon Donovan atop the U.S. all-time top scoring charts.
It's a target Dempsey is relishing, though his focus remains on succeeding with the country:
"I mean, it'll be cool (to reach 57 goals) but the most important thing is playing well for your country in international competitions," Dempsey said on the FS1 broadcast at the end of the match. "Hopefully there'll be more goals to come."
With the win, Klinsmann can breathe a little easier, having avoided the disaster-day situation that USSF president Sunil Gulati said could have ended his tenure at the helm of the CONCACAF giants.
The German tactician, who started the same starting XI in all three of the USMNT's group stage matches, will now be forced into making changes since Yedlin will not be available for selection.
But for now, this U.S. side will relish the victory, knowing the group stage mission has been accomplished.
"It's huge, especially being down a man," Guzan said of the win, speaking to FS1. "It showed our will to grind out a result and fight."