USMNT manager Jurgen Klinsmann expects Clint Dempsey to start vs. Turkey

Clint Dempsey has 36 goals in 103 appearances for the U.S. national team. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

U.S. national team captain Clint Dempsey, who missed Tuesday's friendly against Azerbaijan, will resume full training on Friday and will "definitely" start Sunday against Turkey, according to manager Jurgen Klinsmann.

Dempsey was pulled from Tuesday's match minutes before kickoff because he felt soreness in his groin while warming up. Klinsmann said at the time the move was strictly precautionary.

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"If something gets worse the first 30 minutes ... there was no reason why we should risk anything," Klismann said before the team's practice at Stanford University on Thursday.

Dempsey, 31, reportedly avoided making sideways cuts during Wednesday's training session. He worked out in the pool on Thursday before boarding a flight to New Jersey, where Sunday's game will be played at Red Bull Arena in Harrison.

The U.S. has one more friendly after Sunday — June 7 against Nigeria in Jacksonville — before its World Cup opener against Ghana, June 16 in Brazil.

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