U.S. men take vital step toward Russia with win
ORLANDO, Fla. — Doubt surrounded the United States men’s national team entering Friday night.
Players and coach insisted they knew the gravity of the situation.
And they proved it, taking the three desperately needed points with a 4-0 win against Panama in the U.S. men’s national team’s World Cup qualifier at Orlando City Stadium.
With the victory, the Americans leapt over Panama into third place in The Hexagonal standings. A road win against last-place Trinidad & Tobago in the final qualifier Tuesday will guarantee the United States a bid to the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
A physical match was expected and that could be seen from the very beginning when Panama’s Gabriel Torres knocked U.S. defender DeAndre Yedlin to the turf 50 seconds into the match.
Panama had three yellow cards in the first half and the Americans had three goals, headlined by an eighth-minute strike from Christian Pulisic, 19.
It was the young midfielder’s fifth goal of the year, assisted by Jozy Altidore. Pulisic later dumped the ball to Altidore in the 19th minute for his fourth assist of the year, tying Clint Dempsey for the team lead in both categories in this round of World Cup qualifying.
Altidore also converted a penalty kick in the 43rd minute, chipping the ball over Panama goalkeeper Jaime Penedo after U.S. forward Bobby Wood drew a foul in the box.
The announced sellout crowd of 25,303 roared in approval as the United States entered halftime with a 3-0 lead.
U.S. Soccer held its final home match at Orlando City Stadium in the hopes it would provide a friendly atmosphere and it did. Chants of “U-S-A” drowned out the Panamanian contingent in attendance and the supporters section of the stadium remained standing the entire match despite being converted into a seated area for the night.
“I think the USA will be returning to Orlando,” veteran soccer broadcaster Ian Darke said while describing the rowdy crowd in the broadcast Friday night on ESPN2.
Pulisic continued to run through and around defenders, easily breaking free and finding space to operate until he subbed off in the 57th minute to a standing ovation. Dax McCarty replaced him, garnering cheers of his own as he made his World Cup qualifying debut.
Wood started alongside Altidore in the 3-5-2 formation and scored his 10th international goal in the 63rd minute to give the Americans an insurmountable 4-0 lead. Paul Arriola tapped the ball to Wood, centered in front of the net for an easy finish.
By the end of the game, the U.S. team had 16 fouls compared to Panama’s 11. The U.S. team also outshot Panama, 15-9, and veteran goalkeeper Tim Howard made two critical saves, one in each half.
Panama had 57.9 percent of possession, but did not have enough quality in the final third to get on the scoreboard.