FT: USMNT 2, El Salvador 0
The USMNT move on to the semifinal round with a victory over El Salvador.
Next up is Costa Rica on Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
87′ USMNT Substitution
Chris Pontius comes on for Darlington Nagbe as the Philadelphia Union man gets some minutes in front of his home crowd.
83′ El Salvador Substitution
Harold Alas comes on to replace Nelson Bonilla.
81′ USMNT in Process of Closing Game out
The job is simple in the final 10 minutes for the USMNT: keep possession and close the game out.
It’s been quite the eventful affair in Philadelphia and they need to leave the field with all 11 players.
78′ El Salvador Substitution
Edwin Sanchez comes on for Denis Pineda for the losing side.
73′ USMNT Defense Continues to be a Mess
Another melee breaks loose in the box as the USMNT fail to clear the ball out of the box.
After a few attempts to get the ball out of the penalty area, the USMNT do the job.
This hasn’t been the best night for anyone in the back line.
71′ USMNT Substitution
Kellyn Acosta replaces Gyasi Zardes as the USMNT make their second change.
Darlington Nagbe will shift out wide to fill Zardes’ spot, while Acosta will play next to Bradley.
66′ USMNT Substitution
Jordan Morris replaces Paul Arriola as the USMNT make their first change.
63′ MISS!
Pineda misses a chance from close range for El Salvador, as his header goes too high over Howard in goal.
The chances have been there for the underdogs to come back in the second half.
58′ Somehow El Salvador Don’t Score
El Salvador break down the field on the counter off a corner, but somehow the three versus two move fails to create a significant chance against Howard.
56′ USMNT Getting Closer to a Third
Arriola sends a nice first touch cross into the middle of the box, but Mancia dives in front of the pass and heads it out for a corner.
52′ JUST WIDE!
Another chance comes from El Salvador in quick succession, as Pineda sends his effort from outside the box just wide to the left of Howard.
51′ CHANCE!
Zelaya has a go at goal from 25 yards out, but his attempt skies over the USMNT net.
46′ The Second Half is Underway
We’re back underway in Philadelphia.
HT: USMNT 2, El Salvador 0
Late first-half goals from Gonzalez and Lichaj save what was a brutal first half for the USMNT.
45′ GOAL LICHAJ!!
Lichaj receives a nice ball from Dempsey in the middle of the box and coolly finishes into the back of the net.
The USMNT lead 2-0 right before halftime.
41′ GOAL GONZALEZ!!
Gonzalez heads home a terrific free kick from Bradley to hand the USMNT a 1-0 lead.
34′ Altidore Frustrated with the Referee
Altidore screams at the referee after he wins the ball, but gets called for a foul.
There have been 15 fouls called by Canadian referee Drew Fischer in the first half.
25′ USMNT Playing Better
The USMNT have found their footing in the game over the last 10 minutes, but they haven’t done enough to overpower El Salvador just yet.
There’s plenty of physicality in this one already as well and a few yellows have been dished out.
17′ GOAL DISALLOWED!
Zardes breaks free on the left side of the box and strikes the back of the net, but the referee flags him for offside.
16′ Altidore Sends a Shot on Goal
Altidore creates the first serious USMNT chance of the game as he rolls a shot in the direction of Carrillo, but the goalkeeper easily catches it.
14′ El Salvador Look Dangerous
To the surprise of many, El Salvador look like the better side through 14 minutes.
The crowd in Philadelphia has plenty of El Salvador fans and they’ve been engaged since the start of the contest.
10′ BLOCK!
Lichaj concedes a free kick on the edge of the left wing.
The free kick routine from El Salvador leaves a player open at the top of the box.
Luckily for the USMNT, Bradley and Lichaj combine to block the ball in front of Howard.
7′ CLOSE!
Bradley plays a dangerous corner from the left wing.
The ball bounces around in front of the net before Castillo deflects it out of play.
The second corner in a row for the USMNT produces nothing.
4′ Howard to the Rescue!
After a bad turnover by Lichaj in the middle of the field, Howard races off his line to clear the ball away from the left side of the box.
3′ Arriola Breaks Free
Arriola races into the final third with the ball at his feet, but Tamacas slides over to clear the ball out for a corner.
1′ Kickoff!
The USMNT and El Salvador are underway in Philadelphia.
Ten Minutes Until Kickoff
The teams are out on the field in Philadelphia.
Kickoff is set for 9:15 p.m. ET.
USMNT Gold Cup Facts
The USMNT are after their sixth Gold Cup crown. They last took home the trophy in 2013.
Bruce Arena’s men have scored at least one goal in 21 straight Gold Cup matches.
Seven different players on the roster have scored in the Gold Cup, with Dempsey leading the way with 12 goals.
Players to Watch
Eric Lichaj and Justin Morrow get another opportunity to impress on each flank of defense with the spots potentially up for grabs.
The experiment of playing Michael Bradley and Darlington Nagbe centrally will also be worth watching as the two build up more chemistry ahead of Russia.
Winner Faces Costa Rica
Costa Rica beat Panama in the first quarterfinal at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
The winner of this match takes on Costa Rica in the semifinal on Saturday in Arlington, Texas.
USA vs. El Salvador History
The last time the two nations met was July 21, 2013 in the Gold Cup quarterfinals.
The USMNT cruised to a 5-1 victory on that night.
