Clint Dempsey earned his 80th cap for the USA on Tuesday in an international friendly match against Ecuador at the Red Bull Arena in New York.
Having played in two World Cup tournaments in 2006 and 2010, Dempsey is now targeting the 2014 Finals in Brazil and shows no signs of letting his foot off the gas over the next few years.
Following Tuesday's 1-0 defeat to Ecuador, Dempsey spoke of the spoke of the competitive nature that has served him so well on the international and domestic during his career to date.
“I always put pressure on myself to perform," said Dempsey after Tuesday's match. “Whether I am a veteran or not, I have always been that type of person.
“I go out and every game I try to make an impact and try to win it. So it doesn’t matter if it is my first cap or my 80th cap, I have the same mentality.”
During the international break Dempsey scored the decisive goal in last Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Honduras in Miami before Tuesday's defeat to Ecuador.
Dempsey played the full 90 minutes in both matches and will now return to SW6 ahead of this weekend's Barclays Premier League match against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium.