Antonee Robinson now has two goals for the U.S. men's national team, and they've both been massive in the quest to qualify for the World Cup.
The Fulham left back's 52nd-minute strike eased the heat on the U.S. on a chilly night in Columbus and held up in a 1–0 win over El Salvador at Lower.com Field Thursday night. Robinson, who also scored a second-half equalizer in what felt like a must-win game in Honduras much earlier in the qualifying cycle, latched onto a headed cross from surprise starter Jesús Ferreira and fired home to calm some nerves that may have been building after a scoreless first half.
The win is guaranteed to keep the U.S. in the top three through nine of 14 matches of the Concacaf Octagonal, from which the first three finishers will automatically qualify for the 2022 World Cup. Concacaf's top three—Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, the joint 2026 World Cup hosts—all won on the night, pulling away even more from the bottom of the table. Fourth place is still a spot they'll want to avoid, though, with that finisher going to an intercontinental, one-match playoff against Oceania's champion in Qatar in June. Panama's loss to Costa Rica puts four points between the U.S. and Los Canaleros for that spot.
