Martin Rogers

USA TODAY Sports

SEATTLE – Jurgen Klinsmann slammed the decision to send off key midfielder Jermaine Jones as the United States’ thrilling 2-1 victory over Ecuador in the Copa America quarterfinals came with a hefty price.

“It was an absolute joke,” Klinsmann said, after Jones was sent off for an altercation with Ecuador’s Michael Arroyo in the second half, meaning he will miss Tuesday’s semifinal against either Argentina or Venezuela in Houston through suspension. “It is a disgrace, a decision like that.”

Both Jones and Ecuador winger Antonio Valencia, who plays for Manchester United, were dismissed for a heated exchange in the 51st minute. As the game became increasingly physical, Bobby Wood and Alejandro Bedoya also picked up yellow cards that will rule them out of the team’s semifinal.

Thursday’s performance was equal parts clinical and scrappy, with a smattering of fiery flashpoints that showed once more that Klinsmann’s men are not minded to shy away from a tussle.

Goals from Clint Dempsey and Gyasi Zardes opened up the lead but it was an effort that, more than anything, will be remembered for its simmering nastiness and physical undercurrent – the Battle in Seattle.

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However, whatever happens from this point in the campaign must be considered a success, especially following a disappointing opening game defeat to Colombia that appeared to put Klinsmann’s job under temporary threat.

Finishing in the final four, which Klinsmann targeted before the event, was seen as optimistic. Yet the Americans have learned to play with attitude and uncompromising spirit over the past three games, and physicality that occasionally oversteps reasonable grounds is an acceptable trade-off for that.

After Dempsey opened scoring midway through the first half with a perfectly placed header, things began to get spicy just after the break. Valencia had already been yellow-carded when he lashed out at Bedoya with a cheap kick to the legs once the ball had already departed.

Cue mayhem at the center of the field, with numerous players from both teams entering the fray as tempers flared. The upshot was that both Valencia and USA midfielder Jones earned their marching orders.

While Valencia’s infraction was patently obvious, Jones’ will continue to be the cause of conjecture. Even replays were not conclusive. Certain angles appeared to show Jones raising his hands and making contact with the face of Arroyo; others seemed to indicate he was unfairly punished.

Briefly, it seemed as though the reduction in numbers and resulting reshuffle would benefit Ecuador more than the Americans. Yet the harder Ecuador pressed, the more space opened up, and Dempsey was the right man to exploit it.

A 65th minute break saw him make strong headway into the penalty area, from where he was able to take out two defenders and goalkeeper Alexander Dominguez with a ball across the face of goal that Zardes tapped home.

It capped a fine performance for Seattle Sounders forward Dempsey on his home field, and continued his fine recent form.

“I have been blessed to be able to step up in big games for my country,” Dempsey said. “Hopefully I can keep doing that.”

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CenturyLink Field was positively bouncing at that point, a reminder of why this may be the venue that provides the USA with the biggest home field advantage of any.

A few nerves were jangled in the 74th minute, when Arroyo pulled a goal back by taking a low corner on the edge of the penalty area and drilling a low strike into the corner of Brad Guzan’s net. Moments later, Enner Valencia should have equalized with a close range header, but mistimed his effort – and that was as close as Ecuador would get.

Things became even more ill-tempered as Ecuador’s frustrations boiled over and its coach Gustavo Quinteros was sent off, apparently for hurling a water bottle onto the field.

“All of the calls went against us,” his assistant Luis Suarez said.

It seems remarkable that a little more than a week ago, U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati was disgruntled enough with the team’s progress to indicate Klinsmann might be on the verge of losing his job. The response since then has been emphatic – three straight wins with a single goal conceded, to effectively ensure the German will remain in power until the World Cup, barring an unexpected hiccup in qualifying.

Given that world No. 1 Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, is an overwhelming favorite to provide the opposition in the semis, this might be as far as the journey goes. Not so fast though, as the U.S. has already shown beyond doubt that it relishes any chance to upset the odds and confound both popular wisdom and external criticism.

Onward they march to Houston, where opportunity beckons once more and an unlikely journey is given another chance to breathe.