3 years ago
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By RONALD BLUM AP Sports Writer
SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras — Antonee Robinson and Ricardo Pepi scored their archetypal planetary goals aft a halftime alteration successful formation, Brenden Aaronson and Sebastian Lletget added precocious goals and the United States revived its World Cup qualifying run with a 4-1 triumph implicit Honduras connected Wednesday night.
U.S. skipper Christian Pulisic joined the lengthy American injured list, limping disconnected successful the 60th.
Brayan Maya enactment Honduras up successful the 27th infinitesimal of a one-sided archetypal fractional arsenic the Catrachos dominated earlier a horn-blowing afloat location astatine Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano.
Robinson scored successful the 48th infinitesimal and Pepi, starting successful his planetary debut, successful the 75th. Aaronson scored disconnected a slick walk from Pepi successful the 86th, and the Galaxy’s Lletget added his eighth planetary extremity successful the 3rd infinitesimal of stoppage arsenic the cheers of Catrachos fans turned to boos and whistles.
“We conscionable fought,” Lletget said. “We knew we conscionable had to lucifer their intensity. That was the biggest alteration successful the 2nd half.”
Criticized for waiting excessively agelong to insert substitutes connected Sunday against Canada, U.S. manager Gregg Berhalter injected Robinson, Lletget and Aaronson to commencement the 2nd fractional for John Brooks, George Bello and Josh Sargent.
Following a antagonistic led by Pulisic, Lletget’s transverse was redirected successful beforehand by Pepi, and Robinson volleyed from 7 yards for his archetypal extremity successful 15 planetary appearances.
Pulslic needed attraction aft a challenge, past fell to the crushed aft trying to sprint connected a dribble. He was replaced by Cristian Roldan and joined Sergio Dest, Gio Reyna and Zack Steffen with injuries.
The 18-year-old Pepi enactment the U.S. up successful the 75th disconnected a transverse from DeAndre Yedlin, different sub.
Pepi became the 65th subordinate to look for the U.S since the October 2017 nonaccomplishment astatine Trinidad and Tobago ended a streak of 7 consecutive World Cup appearances and the 42nd nether Berhalter.
Aaronson, who scored his archetypal extremity successful Sunday’s 1-1 gully against Canada, added his extremity connected a antagonistic disconnected a provender from Pepi.
“I was truthful fired up today, I don’t cognize what benignant of took implicit me, but I was conscionable acceptable to go, and you could spot it with each the subs. It was a spark,” Aaronson said.
Mexico leads the CONCACAF array with 7 points, followed by Panama, Canada and the U.S. with 5 each. Honduras and El Salvador person 2 each, and Jamaica none.
Following draws astatine El Salvador and astatine location against Canada, the U.S. is successful decent signifier aft 3 of the 14 matches. Qualifying resumes successful October.
“I deliberation it’s truly important that we did that conscionable to amusement everyone that astatine times it’s going to beryllium a hard qualifying process but we’re acceptable for the challenges that’ll travel ahead,” Robinson said. “We tin respond to anything.”
The U.S. won for conscionable the 3rd clip successful 34 roadworthy qualifiers successful which it conceded archetypal (five draws).
“Maybe we thought it was going to beryllium easier than it was going down to El Salvador, Honduras. There are pugnacious games, man. You spot however hostile the crowds are, but the vigor is amazing, the ambiance is amazing,” midfielder Tyler Adams said.
Berhalter made 5 lineup changes, giving Pepi his nationalist squad debut and inserting Bello, Mark McKenzie and James Sands for their qualifying debuts and bringing backmost Sargent, who started the opener. They joined Pulisic and midfielders Tyler Adams and Kellyn Acosta successful what appeared to beryllium a 3-5-2 formation, with Adams playing wide connected the close alternatively than antiaircraft midfield.
Moya scored erstwhile helium redirected a transverse from Diego Rodríguez past goalkeeper Matt Turner aft Brooks failed to marque a tackle upfield.
Bello, making conscionable his 4th planetary appearance, near Moya unmarked.
NOTES
Canada bushed visiting El Salvador, 3-0, connected goals by Atiba Hutchison, Jonathan David and Tajon Buchanan. … Mexico got a 76th-minute extremity from Jesus Corona successful a 1-1 gully astatine Panama, which went up connected Rolando Blackburn’s 28th-minute goal. … Costa Rica was held to a 1-1 gully by visiting Jamaica. Jimmy Marín scored successful the 3rd infinitesimal for the hosts and Shamar Nicholson tied the people successful the 47th.
Have yourself a debut, Ricardo Pepi! After having a relation successful the U.S. opener, the 18-year-old FC Dallas striker heads the #USMNT into the pb successful Honduras. 2-1!
(via @TelemundoSports) pic.twitter.com/nZOCiyhqvu
— Planet Fútbol (@si_soccer) September 9, 2021
Ricardo Pepi adds an assistance to his go-ahead goal, and Brenden Aaronson scores for the 2nd consecutive game. A monolithic extremity for the U.S. connected its quest to scope the 2022 World Cup
(via @TelemundoSports) pic.twitter.com/2vib2tFDeJ
— Planet Fútbol (@si_soccer) September 9, 2021
SEBASTIAN LLETGET MAKES IT FOUR 💥 pic.twitter.com/d7nCb78tAZ
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 9, 2021
Antonee Robinson comes close disconnected the bench, hits the equalizer and the backflip and the #USMNT has beingness again. 1-1
(via @TelemundoSports) pic.twitter.com/U15vOJ8TFr
— Planet Fútbol (@si_soccer) September 9, 2021
Crucial 3 points today.
🇺🇸👏🇺🇸👏 pic.twitter.com/hIb7cJIebf
— U.S. Soccer MNT (@USMNT) September 9, 2021
💪 Well said, @AaronsonBrenden! On to the next. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/PJnQvU7lx0
— U.S. Soccer MNT (@USMNT) September 9, 2021
English (US) ·