United States takes big step toward Russian Federation by thrashing Panama

A squad that included Union sporting director Earnie Stewart and a 19-year-old Landon Donovan edged Jamaica, 2-1, in Foxborough, Mass.

Bruce Arena was hired to get the USA men’s national team to the World Cup.

Arena needed his side to heap early pressure onto a Panama side who have been notoriously hard to break down, conceding just five goals in their prior matches of the six-nation final round of qualifying. Instead of running full speed, all of Panama’s defenders have gone flat-footed. Jozy Altidore scored twice in the win.

Pulisic – one of the most highly-rated youngsters in world football now plying his trade with Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund – was at the peak of his powers against Panama, ghosting past the keeper before tapping in on the stretch for the USA opener. The top three teams get the region’s automatic berths.

Jozy Altidore continues to be a streaky player, while Bobby Wood and Jordan Morris still lack true big game experience.

The U.S. had scored only once in the previous 180 minutes of qualifying. “Our top three players early in the game were very active and unsafe, created a bunch of chances”.

“On a night when so much was on the line-maybe everything-we played in a way from the get-go that we gave no doubt as to who was going to win the game”, Bradley said.

Looking ahead, the United States’ chances of ending up in Russian Federation are far more promising than they were coming out of the September matches. This time we gave them space and that was the error.

“We needed a lot of movement against a physical Panama team that was going to sit in and not make it easy for us. So for us it would be good to get control and try and win the game from minute one”.

Pulisic, who was the target of some hard fouls by the Panamanian team, was substituted early in the second half for Dax McCarty with the US chasing a fourth. A variation of it even appears in U.S. Soccer’s official news releases leading to the match.

Playing his first global match since he turned 19 last month, Pulisic was moved to central midfield from the flanks and sparked the attack from the opening whistle with pace and ball control seldom seen from an American. 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.

“It’s certainly a big game”.

Plenty of people with plenty of opinions have already let us know about the potential pitfalls and scenarios should those three points not end up with the USMNT. “He did what he wanted”.

Christian Pulisic, the 19-year-old from Hershey, Pennsylvania, who is a rising star with Germany’s Borussia Dortmund, helped energize the USA when he was shifted to central midfield from the flanks.

Bruce Arena not getting Fabian Johnson onto the roster is also concerning, because despite his wavering committment, he’s one of the U.S.’s best players. His ability to be a good football player and make others around him better. Asked about that second game, the US coach said he had not devised an overarching plan for both matches. He had a goal and an assist playing through the middle of the pitch, dictating play all night in Orlando. “Now we have to finish it off on Tuesday in Trinidad”.

They had a good chance to make it to the last World Cup, needing a win in the final game against the US, which had already qualified and sent a second choice team.