My 3 Thoughts on USMNT-El Salvador
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The USMNT beat El Salvador 1-0 in the ninth game of the 14-match World Cup qualifying Octagonal on Thursday, leaving the U.S. with 18 points and El Salvador with six. Here are my three thoughts on the game:
• Antonee Robinson is a hell of a finisher for a left back. For the second time in this World Cup qualifying cycle, the man known as Jedi scored a huge goal that showed his talents in the box are far greater than we see with most left backs. After Weston McKennie’s pass (and a fortuitous Salvadoran fall) freed up Tim Weah for a shot that was saved, Jesús Ferreira smartly headed the ball toward the open space on the left of the box. That’s where Robinson made no mistake, powering his left-footed shot past keeper Mario González for the 52nd-minute strike. Just as he did upon tying the game in Honduras, Robinson celebrated by doing handsprings. This was a hard game overall for the U.S.—El Salvador is a tough out under Hugo Pérez—but Robinson solved a night of frustration in one decisive moment.
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• The U.S.’s front three had an off night. There was just something off for too much of this game from the U.S. attackers. Christian Pulisic played too centrally as opposed to staying on the left wing and had trouble creating danger on the ball. (He ended up coming off in the 65th minute and had no argument there.) Ferreira, a surprise starter in place of Ricardo Pepi up top, failed to convert a golden chance in the 19th minute by putting it over the bar and didn’t do enough overall in the end to stake a strong claim for the starting spot moving forward. And while Weah did have a role in the U.S. goal, he had less impact on the right wing than he has had in recent games, struggling to get free from defenders and send crosses into the box. The U.S. had plenty of shots (17) but not enough on goal (five).
• The U.S. is in a good spot when it comes to qualifying for the World Cup. The performance wasn’t the U.S.’s best by any means, and I still think choosing to stage this game in a location warmer than 31 degrees would have helped the U.S. players get more out of their technical advantages over El Salvador. (A match farther south wouldn’t have been a one-goal game.) But from a results perspective, the three points was exactly what the U.S. needed. Mexico’s come-from-behind 2-1 win at a 10-man Jamaica means the U.S. maintains a one-point lead on El Tri in the Octagonal standings. Meanwhile, Canada was leading 1-0 at Honduras and set to maintain its one-point advantage over the U.S. heading into their showdown on Sunday in Hamilton. The point of qualifying is to make it to the World Cup, and the USMNT is on track to do it.
What were your thoughts on the game? You can share them in the comments below. Make sure to sign up (free or paid) to get my posts in your inbox, and come back at 9 am ET for my magazine-style story on the game.
Sack GGG
Mousah was relatively quiet. I guessed it was because he was on the left? Am I right that he was more of a factor after Pulisic left?