US eye tailor-made Cup spot in Panama
Arena says No. 10 role suits Pulisic perfectly, as side chase win that will lift them into automatic qualifying position
Arevitalised United States face Panama today brimming with confidence after a record World Cup qualifying victory inspired by teenage star Christian Pulisic and veteran forward Clint Dempsey.
The pall of gloom enveloping the US national team following defeats against Mexico and Costa Rica in November was blown away on Friday, with Pulisic and Dempsey helping to deliver a 6-0 thrashing of Honduras.
The win was the biggest ever recorded by a US team in the final round of World Cup qualifiers in the CONCACAF zone, which comprises teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
But it was the manner, rather than the scale, of the victory that has reignited confidence in America’s bid to qualify for an eighth consecutive appearance at the World Cup finals.
Though it was the 34-yearold Dempsey who took the man-of-the-match award with a hat-trick on his first return to national team duty since recovering
Concacaf region 2018 World Cup qualifying today:
Panama v United States Trinidad and Tobago v Mexico Honduras v Costa Rica
Standings P W
Mexico 3 2 1 0 4 1 Costa Rica 3 2 0 1 6 2 Panama 3 1 1 1 1 1 US 3 1 0 2 7 6 T&T 3 1 0 2 2 5 Honduras 3 1 0 2 3 8
First three teams qualify for World Cup; fourth placed team plays inter-continental play-off.
Note: D L F APts
7 6 4 3 3 3 from an irregular heartbeat, Pulisic was unquestionably the most influential US player.
The Borussia Dortmund prodigy, still only 18, scored one goal and set up three others in a display that suggests US football has finally unearthed the sort of authentic attacking talent American fans have craved for years.
Against Honduras, Pulisic thrived in the No. 10 role, buzzing around menacingly in the space created by the forward partnership of Dempsey and Jozy Altidore. US coach Bruce Arena said he had no hesitation in making Pulisic the fulcrum of the US attack after watching him play in a similar position for Bundesliga side Dortmund this season.