ORLANDO — The United States men’s national team progressed to the CONCACAF Nations League finals, though it made hard work of defeating El Salvador 1-0.
Ricardo Pepi scored the all-important goal just moments after coming on as a second half substitute, and with the U.S. proving resolute in defense, that was enough to claim the top spot in Group D and move on to the CNL finals in Las Vegas in June.
Overall, the U.S. were worth their win given how they gradually took control of the match, but honor is due El Salvador who under manager and former U.S. international Hugo Sanchez continued to give the U.S. all it could handle.
Rapid reaction
1. USMNT wears down tough El Salvador side
This was a match in which the U.S. was expected to dominate given that it had most of its World Cup squad available, and was playing a competitive fixture at home for the first time since the World Cup. And yet as has been the habit against El Salvador, the home side found it difficult to break the Salvadoran defense.
The visitors nearly went ahead just two minutes in, when Jairo Henriquez‘s shot was touched wide by Matt Turner. El Salvador also looked the better side through the first 20 minutes, with a near two-to-one advantage in terms of possession time. The U.S. eventually took control, but the home side struggled to find a breakthrough, even when Weston McKennie was presented with a wide open header in first-half stoppage time.
But then with the game hanging in the balance, interim U.S. manager Anthony Hudson made the kind of change that can tilt a match in a team’s favor. Off came Daryl Dike and the disappointing Alejandro Zendejas and on came Brenden Aaronson and Ricardo Pepi. Pepi made an immediate impact in the 62nd minute, latching on to McKennie’s through ball and then delivering a delicate chip over Salvadoran goalkeeper Mario Gonzalez.
Pepi had a few more chances to pad the U.S. lead, but his tally proved enough to secure victory for the home side.
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2. Pepi bails out sputtering U.S. attack
Plenty of eyes were on Giovanni Reyna this window to see how he would rebound from the drama surrounding him (and more so his parents and former manager Gregg Berhalter) over the past three months. Playing in a central role, Reyna was quiet for long stretches, but also had his moments, including a shot that rang off the post just seconds into the second half. He was certainly tidy on the ball, oftentimes was dropping deep to get his touches, which was likely just fine with El Salvador.
But if one were to pick a player that raised his stock the most during this window, it would have to be Pepi. This is a player who has overcome the disappointment of missing out on the World Cup, to bang in the goals for Dutch side Groningen — 10 in all competitions — as it attempts to fight off relegation.
His two goals against Grenada were easy to dismiss given the opposition. But his tally on this night, taken with considerable composure, will move him up a few spots on the U.S. depth chart. Even if Folarin Balogun follows through on his hints, and opts to represent the U.S. over England, Pepi will have done his prospects little harm.
Good thing too, because this was a night when the U.S. attack struggled for long periods, especially in the first half. Too often there was a lack of precision in the final third, a trait that plagued them at the World Cup as well. The service from wide areas wasn’t nearly accurate enough to take advantage of the imposing size of Dike, and the attempts to play quick combinations too often ran into the veritable wall that was El Salvador’s back line.
Set pieces were a source of frustration as well, even as El Salvador played with fire by committing numerous fouls in and around the box. But this was also a case where the U.S. wore El Salvador down, and they gradually increased the pressure before finally finding the net. It took something special though, and the U.S. got it with Weston McKennie’s pass and Pepi’s finish.
