U.S. opens World Cup qualifying with 0-0 draw at El Salvador

By RONALD BLUM AP Sports Writer

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — The United States showed committedness but nary quality to decorativeness successful its pandemic-delayed World Cup qualifying opener connected Thursday night, playing to a scoreless necktie with El Salvador successful the benignant of Central American stadium that repeatedly has stymied the Americans.

Both teams created fewer chances earlier a boisterious yet polite sellout assemblage of astir 30,000 that started filling Monumental Estadio Cuscatlán, Central America’s largest, astir 8½ hours earlier kickoff.

The U.S., trying to rebound from its nonaccomplishment to suffice for the 2018 World Cup, failed to triumph its sixth consecutive roadworthy qualifier dating to 2016 (two losses, 4 draws).

“We tin marque a batch of excuses astir the game, but astatine the extremity of the time there’s immoderate positives to instrumentality away,” midfielder Tyler Adams said. “We got a cleanable sheet, we didn’t springiness up a goal, we’ll instrumentality the constituent and we’ve got to absorption connected the adjacent game.”

Qualifying was delayed a twelvemonth by the COVID-19 pandemic, and a compacted docket has teams successful the last circular of North and Central America and the Caribbean playing 14 matches successful 7 months. The U.S. hosts Canada connected Sunday successful Nashville, Tennessee, and plays astatine Honduras connected Sept. 8.

Three of the 8 nations successful determination finals suffice for adjacent year’s tourney successful Qatar and the fourth-place finisher advances to a playoff. But determination seldom are casual games for the U.S. successful Central America.

Riot constabulary with helmets and shields were successful beforehand of the stands. Fans, astir wearing bluish location jerseys, were separated from the tract by yellowish chain-link fencing. Many held up the lights connected their mobile phones arsenic if it were a stone concert.

Fireworks started during El Salvador’s nationalist anthem and kept exploding for the archetypal 5 minutes.

Miles Robinson had the champion accidental successful the archetypal half, putting an unfastened header implicit the crossbar successful the ninth infinitesimal from a Gio Reyna escaped kick.

Eriq Zavaleta’s header from Marvin Monterroza’s country footwear was stopped by diving U.S. goalkeeper Matt Turner successful the 57th. Weston McKennie couldn’t get his caput solidly connected Reyna’s transverse successful the 73rd, past crossed to Kellyn Acosta for a header that was punched distant by diving Mario González successful the 76th.

McKennie and DeAndre Yedlin were fixed yellowish cards for fouls successful the 2nd half. A 2nd yellowish successful different crippled would origin a one-game suspension.

It had been 1,424 days since the 2-1 nonaccomplishment astatine Trinidad and Tobago ended the Americans’ streak of 7 consecutive World Cup appearances. Yedlin was the lone holdover successful the U.S. lineup from that night.

Coaching his archetypal qualifier, Gregg Berhalter didn’t person prima attacker Christian Pulisic (regaining fittingness aft investigating affirmative for COVID-19) and goalkeeper Zack Steffen (back spasms), who remained successful Nashville. Turner, who made his planetary debut successful January, was successful goal.

The U.S. lineup averaged 23 years, 282 days, the fourth-youngest successful a qualifier successful the modern era. It included 9 players making their qualifying debuts, each but Yedlin and cardinal defender Tim Ream, who was connected the seat successful Couva.

They were joined by Robinson successful cardinal defense, near backmost Sergiño Dest, Adams, McKennie, Brenden Aaronson, Reyna and Konrad de La Fuente successful midfield, and Josh Sargent heading the attack.

El Salvador was led by Coach Hugo Pérez, who had 73 appearances for the U.S. from 1984-94 and scored successful a 1-0 qualifying triumph implicit El Salvador successful 1989. He recruited nephew Joshua Pérez, a teammate of Pulisic and Adams astatine the 2015 Under-17 World Cup, who had 3 goals successful the archetypal 2 rounds of qualifying.

Also connected El Salvador is Álex Roldan, who starred astatine El Rancho High successful Pico Rivera with his brother, U.S. midfielder Cristian Roldan. Sitting successful the stands, their parent wore an El Salvador jersey and their begetter a U.S.A. shirt.

The U.S. is ranked 10th, its highest since 2006, aft winning the CONCACAF Nations League and Gold Cup titles, and El Salvador is 64th. Los Cuscatlecos person reached conscionable 2 World Cups, successful 1970 and 1982, and the U.S. has 18 wins, six draws and 1 nonaccomplishment successful the matchup, which includes an 18-game unbeaten streak (15 victories). The U.S. had won the astir caller gathering 6-0 successful an accumulation successful December.

NOTES

In different games, Mexico bushed visiting Jamaica, 2-1, connected Henry Martin’s 89th-minute goal. Alexis Vega scored for El Tri successful the 50th, and Shamar Nicholson tied it successful the 65th. Canada came from down to necktie visiting Honduras, 1-1, successful Toronto connected a 66th-minute extremity by Cyle Larin. Alexander López enactment the visitors up with a punishment footwear successful the 40th infinitesimal aft Tajon Buchanan fouled Andy Najar. Panama was held to a 0-0 gully by visiting Costa Rica. … CBS broadcast its archetypal U.S. qualifier and had its commentators telephone the crippled from a New York workplace alternatively than connected site, though it did person a sideline newsman successful the stadium.