Ricardo Pepi Scores Again As USMNT Beat El Salvador To Qualify For CONCACAF Nations League Finals
Ricardo Pepi came off the bench to score his third goal in two games as the United States beat El Salvador 1-0 at Orlando's Exploria Stadium.
Monday night's win came three days after Pepi had netted twice in a 7-1 victory over Grenada.
That win in the Caribbean meant that the USMNT needed only to avoid defeat against El Salvador in order to reach the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals by winning League A Group D.
The reigning champions went close to taking the lead in the first half as Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic both missed chances.
But the breakthrough eventually came in the 62nd minute after McKennie slipped a neat pass through to Pepi.
The 20-year-old Texan held off a strong challenge from Roberto Dominguez before stylishly chipping the ball over goalkeeper Mario Gonzalez.
Ricardo Pepi pictured (center) scoring for the USMNT against El Salvador
IMAGO/Icon Sportswire/Andrew Bershaw
El Salvador now needed to score twice to beat their opponents to a spot in the finals.
The Central American side pushed forward in search of goals but ended the game without recording a shot on target.
The 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals will take place between June 15 and 18 with all four games being held in Nevada at Allegiant Stadium.
Mexico have already qualified after winning League A Group A.
Panama and Canada are in pole position to join them in the four-team event, but Costa Rica and Honduras are also still in contention going into the final fixtures in Group B and Group C.
