Dempsey nets 50th as USA rout Costa Rica

Clint Dempsey scored his 50th international goal as the United States reignited their Copa America campaign to ease the pressure on coach Jurgen Klinsmann with a 4-0 win over Costa Rica here Tuesday.
The host nation, beaten by Group A rivals Colombia in the tournament opener on Friday, produced a devastating first half goal blitz to sink their rivals from the CONCACAF region on a warm night at Soldier Field.
Dempsey opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Jermaine Jones and Bobby Wood struck just before half-time to effectively settle the contest. Substitute Graham Zusi added a fourth three minutes from time.

The win came as a welcome relief for Klinsmann, whose tenure has faced mounting criticism over the past 18 months after a series of disappointing performances in competitive matches.
United States Soccer Federation chief Sunil Gulati had fueled fresh speculation about Klinsmann's position only hours before kick-off, telling journalists: "No-one has iron-clad job security."
Klinsmann meanwhile showed he was in no mood to cede ground to his critics, picking the same starting line-up to face Costa Rica that had disappointed in the 2-0 defeat to Colombia. Klinsmann's faith was rewarded however with a superb first half display from his team.

The hosts were gifted a golden opportunity to take the lead within minutes of the kick-off, when Cristian Gamboa needlessly shoved Wood in the back to concede a penalty.
Costa Rica's players protested but they could have no complaints about what was a clear-cut foul. Dempsey then ignored a scrum of Costa Rica players around him as he stepped up to coolly ram home the spot-kick, sending Patrick Pemberton the wrong way and becoming only the second US player to score 50 international goals.