Soccer

8 must-see moments from U.S. Soccer’s thrilling 1-0 win over Paraguay

Dempsey's goal? Check. That Brooks tackle? Got it. Guzan's double save? You bet.

United States goalkeeper Brad Guzan (1) reacts with defender John Brooks (6) after a defensive stop against Paraguay. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The final whistle in Philadelphia couldn’t have come soon enough for the U.S. men’s national soccer team. Playing with just 10 men for the majority of the second half, the U.S. edged Paraguay, 1-0, on Saturday to seal a spot int the Copa America quarterfinals.

“We stuck together,” U.S. defender Geoff Cameron said, via The Associated Press. “Everybody sacrificed.”

After a 2-0 loss to Colombia in the tournament opener and a 4-0 victory over Costa Rica in their second match, Jurgen Klinsmann’s U.S. squad arrived in Philadelphia needing a win or a draw to advance to the Copa America quarterfinals for the first time since 1995.

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“I think that we could possibly do something special here,” U.S. striker Clint Dempsey said after his goal proved decisive, via ESPN.

From the defensive heroics and sudden ejection to the lone goal, check out the key moments from their tense victory:

U.S. defender John Brooks thwarted a 3-on-1 attack in the 11th minute

Clint Dempsey puts the U.S. up 1-0 in the 27th minute

U.S. goalkeeper Brad Guzan denied Paraguay just before halftime

The U.S. were down to 10 men after DeAndre Yedlin picked up a pair of yellow cards very early in the second half

 

Even the referee needed attention as intensity picked up

Guzan made a clutch double save in the 82nd minute 

In the 88th minute, Paraguay had an equalizer waived off for offside

After 90 minutes, the U.S. had to hang on for six minutes of stoppage time

Even after that final whistle, the drama wasn’t over involving the U.S team. In the remaining Group A match, Costa Rica upset Colombia, 3-2, in Houston. That unexpected result sent the U.S. into the quarterfinals as Group A winners.

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