CLINT DEMPSEY hit a hat-trick in USA’s win over Honduras, but he was keen to deflect the praise elsewhere.
After his three-goal show, Dempsey sang the praises of teenager Christian Pulisic as the Borussia Dortmund forward ran the show in the World Cup qualifier.
The USA had been poor in their opening matches in the final round of qualifying, losing to rivals Mexico and Costa Rica leading to the sacking of coach Jurgen Klinsmann.
And 65-year-old coach Bruce Arena won his first game triumphantly in his second spell in the role.
The Premier League target Pulisic ran the show and was the catalyst for the stunning victory in San Jose.
Keep up to date with ALL the USA news, gossip and transfers on our club page
The 18-year-old assisted two of Dempsey‘s goals and scored one for himself, a fourth of his international career.
Dempsey who was making his first USA appearance since June due to heart problems was full of praise for his 18-year-old team-mate and is looking forward to playing alongside him in the future.
He said: “Man, he’s a great player, He can beat people one-on-one on the dribble and creates mismatches because of that. Someone else has to try to push to him, and if you’re able to make good runs he’ll find you.
“It’s great to have players like that who can win that one-on-one battle and kind of break teams open.”
Pulisic added: “Clint’s an easy guy to play with, he’s strong, he’s technical, he makes good runs and he always gives good support.
“That’s exactly what you need from a forward, and he’s clinical.”
Arena singled him out for praise after the match.
The USA manager said: “Christian’s been playing in that spot a lot for Dortmund. I hate using these terms, but they kind of play with two number 10s underneath a number nine, and he’s been playing there [at 10] recently.
“And I think he’s been exceptional the last couple months with his club team. It’s clearly a position he’s played a lot, and I felt it was the right decision to make.”
Leave a comment