Look at USMNT victory this way: A star was born

The first window of World Cup qualifying slammed to a close Wednesday night, and the neck of Team USA was not crushed on the sill.

The Americans yanked their heads out of the way just in time. Just a few days after they were booed after tying Canada in Nashville, they beat Honduras at Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano, a traditionally tough road venue, in San Pedro Sula.

There are any number of angles from which one might view the 4-1 victory. Perhaps the place to start is here: A star was born.

Ricardo Pepi, born in El Paso and raised as a Dallas FC homegrown, had a goal, an assist and figured prominently in each of the four tallies. It was one of the most auspicious debuts in the history of the U.S. Men’s National Team, and it came in a pressure-packed and hostile environment, in a high-stakes game.

Pepi, 18, is the second-youngest U.S. player, after Christian Pulisic, to appear in a World Cup qualifier. Suddenly, he has to be the No. 1 striker in the program,

MOISES CASTILLO/AP United States’ Ricardo Pepi, left, had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win over Honduras on Wednesday.