March 28, (THEWILL) – The senior men’s national football team of the United States, is one step closer to qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.
In the early hours of the day, the USMNT defeated Panama 5-1 at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida, with goals from Paul Arriola, Jesus Ferreira, and Christian Pulisic propelling the team to victory.
Just minutes after the game began, Panama’s Anibal Godoy conceded a penalty. The MLS defender had taken down Nashville SC teammate Walker Zimmerman by the neck inside the box and Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic opened the scoring from 12 yards.
After the first goal, the USMNT kept pressing high, with Antonee Robinson wonderfully setting up Paul Arriola in the centre of the box. When the FC Dallas attacker saw the cross, he headed it into the top right corner to make it 2-0.
With a right-footed shot that found the right corner of the net, Jesus Ferreira added the third goal.
Pulisic converted a penalty kick after Godoy conceded the call by fouling Antonee Robinson inside the box for the second time. But it was the midfielder’s goal in the 65th minute that completed his hat-trick.
Godoy, who had conceded two penalties, tried to salvage his name and pulled one back for Panama in the 86th minute, heading the ball past Zack Steffen to keep their World Cup dreams alive before the final whistle.
The USMNT is still in second position in CONCACAF Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers with 25 points after 13 games, just missing out on a World Cup berth. On Wednesday, the team will travel to Costa Rica for the final qualification encounter.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
