{"id":46213,"date":"2017-10-07T05:06:06","date_gmt":"2017-10-07T05:06:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=46213"},"modified":"2017-10-07T05:06:06","modified_gmt":"2017-10-07T05:06:06","slug":"christian-pulisic-leads-4-0-u-s-rout-panama-key-world-cup-qualifier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/sports\/christian-pulisic-leads-4-0-u-s-rout-panama-key-world-cup-qualifier.html","title":{"rendered":"Christian Pulisic leads 4-0 U.S. rout of Panama in key World Cup qualifier"},"content":{"rendered":"

Christian Pulisic leads 4-0 U.S. rout of Panama in key World Cup qualifier<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Christian Pulisic leads 4-0 U.S. rout of Panama in key World Cup qualifier:-The U.S. national team played a game it couldn\u2019t afford to lose Friday. And it didn\u2019t, overwhelming Panama, 4-0, to move a big step closer to an eighth consecutive World Cup appearance next summer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Christian Pulisic, who seemed unstoppable for much of the first half, and Jozy Altidore did most of the heavy lifting, with Altidore scoring two first-half goals while Pulisic scored one and assisted on another.<\/span><\/p>\n

But a game was all the U.S. won Friday and much work remains to be done to assure the Americans safe passage to Russia.<\/span><\/p>\n

With the victory, the U.S. (3-3-3) vaults over Panama (2-3-4) into third place in a six-team CONCACAF qualifying tournament that will send three nations to the World Cup. The Americans can secure their trip to Russia by beating Trinidad and Tobago in their final qualifier next week.<\/span><\/p>\n

A draw would likely be enough to see the U.S. through as well because it would leave Panama needing to both beat Costa Rica at home and overcome a seven-goal margin in goal differential to overtake the Americans.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOn a night where so much was on the line \u2014 maybe everything \u2014 we played in a way from the get-go that gave no doubt as to who was going to win the game,\u201d said captain Michael Bradley, whose team would have seen its path to an automatic World Cup berth close with a loss.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAcross the board we had guys ready for a big game. And come through in a huge way,\u201d added Bradley of a U.S. team that gave it most complete effort of the qualifying tournament, putting eight shots on goal while giving up just two. \u201cBut the job isn\u2019t quite done yet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Playing before a rain-splattered sellout crowd of 25,303 at Orlando City Stadium, Pulisic, Altidore and Bobby Wood carved up Panama from the start, opening huge holes in its defense and going in front to stay in the eighth minute on a spectacular goal from Pulisic.<\/span><\/p>\n

After taking a deft right-footed feed from Altidore, Pulisic split two defenders on his way into the penalty area, rounded keeper Jaime Penedo at the edge of the six-yard box and pushed a right-footed shot in from a difficult angle for his fifth goal of the year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Panama, which pounded Pulisic in a 1-1 draw in a March qualifier, attacked him again Friday but it did little to slow the teenager playmaker and 11 minutes after scoring, he set up Altidore for the second goal. The play started with Pulisic eluding Michael Murillo on the left wing and sending a low left-footed pass to the front of goal for Altidore, who redirected it in.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the first minute we put them under a lot of pressure,\u201d Altidore said. \u201cI don\u2019t think they were able to deal with it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Altidore then made it 3-0 just before the half, chipping in a penalty kick for his 41st international goal. Wood, who set up that score when he was taken down by Armando Cooper in the 18-yard box, closed the scoring 18 minutes into the second half, accepting a short pass from Paul Arriola with his back to the net, spinning and sending a soft shot by a pair of stationary defenders and into the back of the net.<\/span><\/p>\n

The four goals marked the most Panama has given up in a World Cup qualifier since a 6-0 loss to the U.S. in October 2004 \u2014 and was one short of the five goals it had allowed in its eight previous games in this cycle combined.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe faced a team that was immensely better than us. Superior in every way,\u201d Panama coach Hernan Dario Gomez said in Spanish. \u201cIt was ugly\u2026.we could have given up 10 goals.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The U.S. didn\u2019t get out of the game unscathed, however, with Pulisic limping off the field briefly early in the second half after a strong tackle by Anibal Godoy. He was allowed to stay in briefly before being replaced by Dax McCarty in the 57th minute, then walked gingerly to the locker room after the game.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI got kicked a few times tonight, but I\u2019ll be fine,\u201d Pulisic said. \u201cWe needed a win but the job\u2019s not done. We definitely need a result Tuesday.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Altidore agreed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s still a way where we can\u2019t be in this World Cup,\u201d he said. \u201cSo for us the job is, on Tuesday, to get a result.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-http:\/\/www.latimes.com\/sports\/soccer\/la-sp-us-panama-world-cup-20171006-story.html<\/span><\/p>\n

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