"They've been around a long time. They're good players," U.S. manager Bruce Arena said of Altidore and Dempsey. "I think their skills complement each other, their mentality complements each other. Two very accomplished players, and their numbers show that at both the club and international level."

Dempsey is just one tally behind Landon Donovan's men's national team record of 57 goals, while Altidore lies third with 37. The two have also combined for 47 goals in games they have both played, but both have made contributions that go beyond scoring. While Altidore's partnership with Dempsey hasn't been the classic big guy-little guy combination that has characterized plenty of forward pairings over the years, they each fill a specific role.

Altidore has been primarily the player to hold the ball up and bring teammates into the attack. Dempsey, meanwhile, has often dropped off the opponent's back line and into midfield to keep the offense going. When Altidore went down injured at the 2014 World Cup, Dempsey was forced to forge ahead without him and missed his teammate's presence.

"We're different," Altidore said. "Obviously, we're still the same in that we both like to score goals, but in terms of our play, we're two totally different players. I think in that regard, it kind of meshes perfectly. I've been lucky enough to play with some guys, whether it be Clint or [Sebastian] Giovinco, where we're just totally opposite, and we just clicked from day one. That's nothing that I want to look too much into because I don't want it to change and happy we're still able to play and work together and have success."

The nature of Altidore's contributions can often go overlooked, though he insisted this isn't something that bothers him.

"At this point in my career, I'm not worried about plaudits, patting me on the back," he said. "As you get older, you play for different reasons. I play for my family and the people that matter most to me."=

Dempsey, who did not make himself available to reporters on Tuesday, had been a U.S. international for about three years when Altidore first broke onto the national team. It didn't take long for the two to click on the field, with Altidore scoring against Mexico in his first U.S. start with Dempsey alongside him, though the Toronto FC forward remembers the February 2008 goal for other reasons.

"I stole a goal off [Dempsey] against Mexico," he said. "I remember because he had that mop haircut. It was terrible, so I always give him crap about that."

Dempsey would no doubt love to turn the tables on Altidore come Wednesday and equal Donovan's record, but getting past El Salvador will be foremost on the Americans' agenda. Expectations have been raised, given that goalkeeper Tim Howard, midfielder Michael Bradley, midfielder Darlington Nagbe and goalkeeper Jesse Gonzalez also joined the squad.

Arena said earlier this week that there were "eight favorites" left in the Gold Cup, but there is a widespread sense that the U.S. is the favorite. As it relates to Wednesday, the expectation is that the host should be able to take care of business without too much fuss. Altidore wasn't backing away from that belief.

"We talk about CONCACAF, the Hex and all these things. They're not easy games, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be winning them," Altidore said. "If we want to take the next step and compete with the best of the best, we have to get to the point where these are, obviously not automatic, but we're able to go out and control large parts of the game and dominate the game. Those are the next steps for us as a country, as a soccer nation, and I think we're on the right track. But we have to make sure we put the right pressure on ourselves to keep improving on that."

There have been questions about Dempsey's role going forward, in terms of whether he's a starter or a sub, and Arena said his evaluation of the 34-year-old would continue for the rest of 2017 and into 2018.

But for the rest of this tournament, it looks like Dempsey will be a starter again, with Altidore by his side.