We all knew as soon as we saw the replay and now we have official confirmation from US Soccer: Captain Clint Dempsey had his nose broken when John Boye's leg smacked him in the face during the first half of Monday's 2-1 US win.
On Tuesday, US Soccer confirmed that Dempsey suffered a basal fracture of his nose.
Deuce suspected as much when he spoke to ESPN's Jeremy Schaap: "I think it is broken," he told him after the match. "I was having trouble breathing and I was coughing up blood a little bit. I felt fine and I kept going. I did feel tired, but hopefully I will be able to start breathing through my nose again and look forward to the next game."
He finished the match against Ghana, but is his place in the lineup for Portugal at risk? The US manager Jurgen Klinsmann had no doubt.
"Clint has to work with his nose," Klinsmann told reporters on Tuesday back at USMNT camp in São Paulo. "It will hurt him for a couple of days. I broke mine three or four times; it’s alright. We’ll give him a few days."
It's unclear as of yet whether Dempsey will wear a mask of some kind against Portugal on Sunday. Meanwhile, US Soccer is still awaiting MRI results on Jozy Altidore and Matt Besler, both of whom left Monday's match with hamstring issues.
