The United States overcame another slow start at the Gold Cup to beat Haiti 1-0, with former captain Clint Dempsey once again providing the scoring punch.
A somewhat listless U.S. attack failed to generate many chances in the first half, after which coach Jurgen Klinsmann brought on LA Galaxy forward Gyasi Zardes for Jozy Altidore at halftime.
The move paid immediate dividends, as Zardes settled a ball in the Haitian penalty area and cut a pass back to Dempsey, who calmly finished into the upper right corner to give the U.S. a 1-0 lead in the 47th minute.
Klinsmann made numerous changes to his starting XI to start the game from the team that beat Honduras 2-1 on Tuesday, and there was a notable lack of cohesion, especially in the backline and midfield throughout the match.
Haiti continually forced turnovers in midfield and turned them into counter-attacking opportunities. Despite the lively counters, a somewhat shaky U.S. defense held strong and kept the score level through the first half.
U.S. captain Michael Bradley came close in the 33rd minute when he tried to catch Haiti's goalkeeper Johny Placide off his line on a free kick, but his shot sailed over the crossbar.
In the 35th minute, Aron Johannsson scored after collecting a loose ball in the Haitian penalty area, but the U.S. No. 9 was ruled offside on the ball played in by Altidore.
Once again, Haiti countered and Wilde-Donald Guerrier, whose pace gave the U.S. fits throughout the first half, saw his left-footed shot from just inside the box curl wide of the left post.
Despite the Dempsey goal, Haiti continued to pressure Brad Guzan and the U.S. defense in the second 45 minutes, with Guzan coming up with several good saves to help his team secure the win.
The win means the U.S. have locked up first place in Group A ahead of their group finale vs. Panama on July 13 at 9:30 p.m. ET.