Clint Dempsey didn't immeditaly know his goal against Egypt, which gave the USA a 3-0 win, clinched passage to the semifinals of the Conferedations Cup. But the U.S. players soon got word that, combined with Brazil's 3-0 triumph over Italy, the USA earned date on Wednesday with European champion Spain.

"I was just happy that we won 3-0," Dempsey said. "I was tired at the same time, and it wasn't until I saw everybody else celebrating that I knew we advanced. It's a weight off of our shoulders. Everybody else was against us, but we believed it ourselves. No one thought that we could go to the next round, but we showed what you can accomplish by fighting hard and sticking together."

The USA advanced despite having lost its first two games, 3-1 to Italy and 3-0 to Brazil. "Without a doubt, we were focused on all three games knowing it was a tough group," said U.S. coach Bob Bradley. "We knew that in the last game that we needed to get after it in a way that would give us a chance. We started the game with a lot of energy. Getting the first goal becomes important. At halftime, we felt that if we were smart and we continued to press in a good way that there would be chances and that we would get two more goals. In that regard, credit to the players for the push they made throughout the game. We're excited to move on."

 

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