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Washington • The United States can head into a key stretch with some added confidence.

Clint Dempsey scored twice in a five-minute span of the second half and moved into second place on the U.S. career scoring list, helping the Americans edge a second-string Germany team 4-3 in an exhibition game Sunday.

Preparing for three World Cup qualifiers in a 12-day span beginning Friday, U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann watched the Americans take a 4-1 lead and hang on to beat the team he helped win the 1990 World Cup as a player and coached to the 2006 semifinals.

The match, which drew 47,359 to RFK Stadium, commemorated the 100th anniversary year of the U.S. Soccer Federation and followed a 4-2 loss Wednesday to a first-string Belgium in Cleveland.

"The feel-good factor is amazing," U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard said. "The crowd was great, on the centennial anniversary. It was amazing to be a part of that game, and obviously to beat Germany was special."

Jozy Altidore put the Americans ahead in the 13th minute with his first international goal in 11/2 years, and the lead widened to 2-0 three minutes later on an own goal by No. 4 Germany goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who misjudged a backpass.

Heiko Westermann cut the deficit for the three-time world champion Germans in the 51st, and Dempsey made it 4-1 with goals in the 60th and 65th. Americans' defensive frailties were exposed late when Max Kruse and Julian Draxler scored their first international goals.

With 35 international goals, Dempsey moved one past Eric Wynalda on the American career list and pulled within 14 of Landon Donovan. Dempsey has five goals for the U.S. this year and 13 since Klinsmann took over as coach in July 2011.