With everything on the line, Tab Ramos’ under-20 men’s national team secured passage to the U-20 World Cup in New Zealand with a 2-0 victory over El Salvador.
BY
Brooke Tunstall
Posted
January 24, 2015
7:40 PM
SET PIECES AND GOALKEEPING.
It’s not the most innovative formula for the United States at any level, but it once again proved effective as the U.S. U-20 national team used that tried-and-true American formula to turn in a 2-0 win over El Salvador in a CONCACAF qualifier that clinched a spot in the U-20 World Cup. The tournament begins in late May in New Zealand.
Ben Spencer, who is under contract to Molde in Norway but spent last season with the NASL’s Indy Elven, and Paul Arriola, scored the goals and Zack Steffen earned the shutout by stopping a penalty kick that would have tied the game in the second half.
After a slow start to the qualifying tournament in Jamaica that saw the U.S. tie Guatemala and lose on a late goal to Panama, the Americans rallied for four straight wins, all of them by shutout.
Against El Salvador in Montego Bay, the U.S. wasn’t always pretty and at times it was mystifying that this team has been together as long as it has been—most of the past six weeks—and doesn’t have more unity in attack. But Tab Ramos’ team had superior size and athleticism to the Salvadorans and enough skill going forward and organization in the back to seal a trip to New Zealand.
Still, if the U.S. U-20s are to avoid a second straight three-and-out at the World Cup, they’ll have to be better in New Zealand than they were in Jamaica, including against an El Salvador team that they should have dominated.
In the 37th minute, Spencer, all six-foot-five of him, got on the end of a free kick from Fulham’s Emerson Hyndman. His initial header clanked off the crossbar but took a fortuitous rebound right back to him, and this time Spencer nodded it home into an empty net.
Six minutes later, Romain Gall of the Columbus Crew, who was arguably the Americans’ most dangerous player on the afternoon, got free on the end line and found Spencer….but his attempt to double the score went just wide.
Just before the break the U.S. almost scored on another set piece as New York Red Bull center back Matt Miazga’s header from a Hyndman corner was saved by the Salvadoran goalkeeper Carlos Canas.
Early in the second half Steffen did Canas one better.
In the 51st minute the U.S. was flagged for a handball in the box, giving the Salvadorans a golden chance to tie the match—only for Steffen to show what his considerable hype was all about. Steffen, who recently signed with German club Freiburg after two season at Maryland and is considered by many, including this website, to be a future full national team starter, dived to his right and at full extension parried away José Villavicencio’s shot to preserve the lead.
In the 68th minute, a pair of U.S. subs help double the advantage. Borrussia Dortmund’s Junior Flores, who had come on for Gall in the 60th minute, did well to create a shot for the Los Angeles Galaxy’s Bradford Jamieson IV. His shot was blocked but another fortuitous rebound fell to Arriola, who came on at halftime for Spencer after the big man took a hard foul to the knee.
Arriola, who already has more than a year of first-team experience with Tijuana Xolos in Mexico, used a nice first touch with his right foot then sent a left-footed shot into traffic and it bounced off a Salvadoran defender and wrong-footed their goalkeeper to make it 2-0.
After that, the only thing left in doubt was the final score and the U.S. easily closed out the game and earned a trip to New Zealand.
Brooke Tunstall is an American Soccer Now contributing editor and ASN 100 panelist. You can follow him on Twitter.
