The U.S. Men’s National Team had a disappointing ending to its run in the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, losing to Panama on penalty kicks in the third-place match Saturday at PPL Park in Chester, PA. On the bright side, Sounders FC forward Clint Dempsey scored yet another goal for the Americans to cap off his stellar performance in the tournament.
Dempsey leveled the match at 1-1 in the 70th minute on a great assist by former Sounders FC teammate DeAndre Yedlin. After winning an aerial ball at the edge of the box, Yedlin turned and found a wide-open Dempsey making a run to his right, and the veteran striker finished on an empty net as Panama goalkeeper Luis Mejia was off his line.
Dempsey finishes the tournament with seven goals, the most by any American player in a single Gold Cup. He will likely win the Golden Boot, although Mexico winger Andres Guardado is within striking distance with five goals heading into Sunday’s final against Jamaica.
Dempsey now has 43 career international goals not from penalty kicks, passing Landon Donovan for the most in USMNT history. His 48 goals overall are just nine shy of Donovan’s 57 for first on the all-time scoring list.
After spending the last few weeks with the USMNT, Dempsey and Sounders FC captain Brad Evans are set to return to their club. Following Saturday's match at the Montreal Impact, Seattle will host Vancouver Whitecaps FC on August 1 with a chance to clinch the 2015 Cascadia Cup.
