USMNT Watch: Dempsey Records Goal and Assist in Seattle Return

One day after Jozy Altidore powered the United States men's national team to a victory with a pair of goals, Clint Dempsey contributed to two strikes in Seattle's win over Toronto. 

The performance was an encouraging sign for Dempsey, who was making only his second start for the Sounders since June 13. In addition to Dempsey's exploits on Saturday night, a few other Americans struck the back of the net during an eventful four-game slate in Major League Soccer.

While most of the European leagues took a break during the FIFA international window, one American youngster did put in a productive shift for his club on Saturday.

Below in the USMNT Watch, we'll have updates on the USMNT players active at the club level and recaps of the international contests involving U.S. teams. 

Dempsey Returns in Style for Seattle

With his team in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race, Dempsey made an immediate impact next to Obafemi Martins in the Seattle lineup. 

It only took the duo six minutes to link up for the first strike of the contest at CenturyLink Field. Dempsey found himself in the role of provider on Martins' opening goal, as he played a perfect ball to the Nigerian, who broke through Toronto's offside trap to score. 

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With his team in need of a winner in the 77th minute, Dempsey capitalized on the mess created by Toronto goalkeeper Chris Konopka and poked home a loose ball from the top of the box. 

After the match, Dempsey admitted to Matt Pentz of the Seattle Times that he isn't 100 percent yet. That admission led to Dempsey being left off the roster for the Brazil match on Tuesday. 

Nguyen, Agudelo Lead the New England Line in Win 

The other three top-level club matches across North America on Saturday witnessed a slew of American attackers finding the back of the net.

Lee Nguyen was in fine form at Gillette Stadium, as he distributed three assists in the New England Revolution's dismantling of Orlando City. Juan Agudelo was one of the beneficiaries of Nguyen's terrific passing, finishing off a move in the 84th minute to put the Revolution ahead by two. 

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No American found the back of the net in the wild 4-3 win by Montreal over Chicago, but Harry Shipp, Justin Mapp and Michael Stephens all earned starts for their respective sides. 

The final match of the night produced an unexpected result, as Conor Casey headed in two late goals to power Philadelphia past San Jose at Avaya Stadium. Casey, who has made 19 appearances for the Yanks, last earned a call-up in 2010. 

Chris Wondolowski netted the first goal of the match in the 64th minute from the spot, but that was one of his few contributions to the San Jose attack. 

Zardes, Ream Among Standout Performers In Win over Peru 

The USMNT's first match since the disappointment at the CONCACAF Gold Cup wasn't played to perfection on Friday night, but the Yanks did leave RFK Stadium with a victory.

Altidore was the top performer on the stat sheet, netting a pair of goals, but if you dig deeper, there were a few others more worthy of recognition after the final whistle blew on the 2-1 win.

Gyasi Zardes, who has catapulted himself into the starting lineup since the start of the year, was the best attacker on the field for the USMNT, while Tim Ream impressed at left-back against the dangerous Peru attack. DeAndre Yedlin and John Brooks also improved their stock ahead of the Brazil and Mexico matches. 

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On Sunday, U.S. Soccer announced three new faces to the squad for the Brazil match. Michael Bradley, Jordan Morris and Sean Johnson were brought in while Matt Besler and William Yarbrough returned to their respective clubs. 

The removal of Besler may seem a bit odd given his impressive performance off the bench on Friday, but he is leaving because of Sporting Kansas City's need at center-back for Wednesday's contest against Portland. 

"We were impressed with Matt Besler this past week. We definitely saw what we needed to see from him as we prepare for the Mexico clash and Sporting KC badly wanted him back for Wednesday, so we agreed to send him home," Klinsmann said in a U.S. Soccer press release. 

Club Vagabond O'Neill Impresses at Back for U23s

Shane O'Neill certainly hasn't had the ideal season at the club level, but he didn't let that bother him on Thursday as he starred at the back for the USMNT U23s against the England U21s. 

The former Colorado Rapids man, who was recently sold to Royal Mouscron-Peruwelz in Belgium by Apollon Limassol in Cyprus, captained the side that fell 1-0 at Deepdale to a squad full of Premier League regulars.

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Wil Trapp of the Columbus Crew also had a solid game for the U23s in the defensive half of midfield. At the other end of the spectrum, all three forwards disappointed, failing to create much in the final third.

While not all of the players on the roster for Thursday's match will be a part of Olympic qualifying, a good amount will form the core, including Trapp, O'Neill, Rubio Rubin and Cody Cropper.

Zelalem Once Again Earns Rave Reviews

Before he linked up with the USMNT U23s, Gedion Zelalem started for Rangers in their Scottish Championship match against Raith Rovers on Saturday.

Zelalem did not play a role in any of the five goals netted by Rangers, but he was lively in attack during his 60-minute shift.

The pressure will now be on the Arsenal loanee to translate his early success at Rangers to the international level. If he is able to thrive at that task, the Yanks should create more chances against Qatar on Tuesday.

Joe Tansey covers U.S. soccer for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @JTansey90.