Clint Dempsey admitted he felt relief after scoring the winner for the USA in World Cup qualifying on Friday.
The Tottenham star netted in the 16th minute to score the only goal in the 1-0 victory over Costa Rica at Dick's Sporting Goods Park and he was thankful for being in the right spot to finish from close range after Jozy Altidore's initial attempt fell into his path.
"I just got the ball on a turn and played Jozy out wide, then he was able to set himself up to get a good shot off," said Dempsey who skippered the US side.
"There was a little bit of a lucky deflection, and I just happened to be following the play. If I would've missed that one, I would've been crying all night."
Ahead of Tuesday's crucial meeting with Mexico, Dempsey added: "All the credit goes to the boys. They fought hard tonight. It wasn't the prettiest game but we grinded out a result and got a clean sheet. Now it's about going off to the next game."
