Image Courtesy: Fabrizio Romano/Twitter
In the 62nd minute, Ricardo Pepi scored with his first touch of the match. On Monday night, the United States defeated El Salvador 1-0 to advance to the semi-finals of the Concacaf Nations League. As a result, the U.S. extended its unbeaten streak against El Salvador to 22 matches, including 16 victories, since 1992. A final four of Canada, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama will compete in the Nations League semi-finals on 15 June in Las Vegas.
Ricardo Pepi's goal gives USMNT the 1-0 win over El Salvador and they book their ticket to the Concacaf Nations League finals in June 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/1Lzv7HaTpH
— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 28, 2023
A pass from Weston McKennie allowed Pepi to replace Daryl Dike in the 60th minute. A 20-year-old striker who missed last year’s World Cup took a touch, fought off defender Roberto Dominguez and chipped the ball delightfully over goalkeeper Mario González. He scored his sixth goal in 14 international appearances and his third in two matches.
Pepi now has six senior goals for the U.S., making him the third youngest member of the USMNT to reach that milestone. Only Christian Pulisic (18 years, 263 days) and Jozy Altidore (19 years, 146 days) are younger than Pepi when they score their sixth goal for the national team. It feels special to be a part of a team with players such as Jozy and Christian. I did not think about it, but now that I have thought about it, I feel honoured to be included on this list,” Pepi said.