Clint Dempsey delivers that something special USMNT needed to reach Gold Cup final

The Texas native stepped on the field and instantly made a difference to help the U.S. national team reach the CONCACAF Gold Cup final

ARLINGTON, Texas — The big screen at AT&T Stadium is gigantic and beautiful, showing the kind of clear image you expect from a high-end home television, not a screen the size of a two-family house. The image on that clear screen flashed Clint Dempsey's image as he prepared to enter Saturday's CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal and the crowd instantly erupted in cheers. In the pressbox, a Costa Rica journalist could be heard gasping "Nooo."

What that journalist knew is what all American fans know — that if the U.S. Gold Cup team was going to do something special to break down and beat the stingy Costa Rican defense, it was going to be Dempsey to do it.

Sure enough, the Texas native, who was born and raised 180 miles away in Nacogdoches, stepped on the field and while he wasn't wearing a hero's cape, he played like he had one on. He set up a golden chance for Kellyn Acosta shortly after entering. Then, just six minutes after entering, Dempsey delivered a beautiful assist to Jozy Altidore to open the scoring.

He capped his heroics in perfect fashion, standing confidently over a free kick from 25 yards out before striking a perfect attempt past Costa Rican goalkeeper Patrick Pemberton to seal the victory and also tie Landon Donovan for most career USMNT goals with 57.

The U.S. national team didn't play badly before Dempsey arrived, but the Americans were sorely lacking the final play, or a special play to break down Costa Rica's five-man defense. In some ways, the first half was the best half the U.S. played all Gold Cup, but only a Jordan Morris shot off the right post just seconds into the match counted as a truly dangerous chance for the Americans in the first half.

Costa Rica seemed intent to let the U.S. knock the ball around, staying organized after some nervy early moments, and it was Bryan Ruiz who looked to be the star more likely to do something special, running through the U.S. defense on a few occasions.

Before Dempsey arrived, it was Tim Howard who had kept the U.S. from having its party spoiled by the Ticos, twice saving dangerous shots by Marco Urena to keep the match tied as the U.S. struggled to break through.

Luckily for the Americans, injuries had decimated Costa Rica's wing options, leaving the Ticos with lackluster wide players who offered little threat. That made it easier for the U.S. defense to cope with a Cosa Rica team that relied largely on the occasional run by Ruiz and long balls to Urena. That made the job easier for the U.S. defense, which looked much more confident as coach Bruce Arena turned to veteran defenders to settle down the back line after some shaky displays earlier in the tournament.

The U.S. attack started out excellently, with Morris rattling the right post just seconds after kickoff. That flash of promise suggested the Americans were ready to play much better than they did on Wednesday against El Salvador, and that's what we saw. The U.S. controlled possession, and made few mistakes, but lacked the final play, and the magic play that could win a game.

That seemed to make Arena's decision to leave Dempsey out of the starting lineup a questionable one, though it made plenty of sense. Dempsey had just played 90 minutes on Wednesday against El Salvador, and Arena figured correctly that the U.S. would be better off having Morris test the Costa Rican defense with his speed, and wear down the Ticos before Dempsey could come on as a second-half substitute.

That move proved perfect, as Dempsey entered the match in the 66th minute in a match where his creativity and vision could wreak havoc on a Costa Rican side that had been tested physically by Morris and Altidore. Once Dempsey entered, it sparked his teammates to make runs and go at the Costa Rican defense in a way the U.S. struggled to before he arrived. Arena will wonder why nobody else in the attack could step up to deliver when the game was still in doubt, but he'll also be relieved to know that Dempsey still has that ability to fill that void.

Christian Pulisic has become that player for the U.S. when the full team is together, but on this U.S. Gold Cup team, it is still Dempsey who remains the player most likely to provide magic when the team needs it. The U.S. will likely need Dempsey to do something similar on Wednesday in the Gold Cup final, and while it is a heavy burden for a 34-year-old to carry, Dempsey showed on Saturday that he's still more than capable of delivering the magic the Americans need, and opponents fear.