U.S. Fights To 2-0 Win Over El Salvador

By ESPN

The United States again fought through a less-than-convincing performance to best a weaker opponent in a 2-0 win over El Salvador in a Gold Cup quarterfinal in Philadelphia on Wednesday night.

Positives

The Americans managed to keep their cool and fight through the scandalously physical game played by the Salvadorans. Doubling down on the opening goal put them in position to manage the rest of the game and book a place in the semifinals. Both full-backs made their marks on the match, pushing into the attack or providing penetrating possession up the wing.

Negatives

Again, the U.S. labored against an opponent it was expected to handle fairly easily, especially with the changes made to the roster and lineup. At various points in the match, El Salvador battered the American defense, and had it not been for some poor finishing by the Salvadorans, the hosts might have been in much bigger trouble. Passing was again lax and lazy too often. Turnovers were a problem.

Manager rating out of 10

5.5 -- Arena's lineup choices probably fed into the underwhelming performance. The lack of speed at center back exacerbated issues the Americans have had handling the counterattack. Paul Arriola's energy provided little on the right side. Though Dempsey proved important on the second U.S. goal, the forward's lack of mobility hampered the attack for the first 40 minutes. Arena fared better with his substitutions.