Sporting KC Homegrown defender Erik Palmer-Brown and the U.S. Under-20 National Team cruised to a 4-1 victory over Haiti in their second Group B game in the CONCACAF U-20 Championship behind an explosive six-minute second-half period that saw the side score three goals in the 52nd, 53rd and 58th minutes.
Palmer-Brown once again captained the side as a defensive midfielder and played the opening 68 minutes before being replaced by Jeremiah Gutjahr. The 19-year-old completed 18 of his 23 pass attempts (78 percent), took one shot and no U.S. player produced more than his three interceptions while he was on the field.
Despite a confident start, the U.S. found themselves trailing in the 15th minute when Haiti’s Kenley Dede volleyed home a cross from the right beyond a diving Jonathan Klinsmann.
Undeterred, the U.S. U-20s continued to push numbers forward and were awarded a lifeline in the 28th minute when NYC FC winger Jonathan Lewis was brought down just inside the area, and Brooks Lennon stepped up to place the penalty kick into the bottom left corner to make the halftime score 1-1.
The U.S. took their first lead of the tournament seven minutes into the second half, when Haiti goalkeeper Isaac Rouaud flapped at a corner and Fulham midfielder Luca De La Torre was on hand to slide the ball home through a slew of bodies.
Moments later, it was 3-1. The U-20s won the ball back high up the field and Jeremy Ebobisse spotted the run of Lennon on the right. The forward’s effort was partially blocked by Rouaud but still made its way into the back of the net to open up a two-goal advantage.
Lennon completed his hat trick in the 58th minute after Ebobisse broke the offside trap and laid the ball off to De La Torre. His right-footed shot was parried away by Rouaud but Lennon followed in and fired into the roof of the net to make the score 4-1.
For the second straight game, the U.S. went up a man when Emerson Georges was sent off after being shown his second yellow card in the 82nd minute for a dangerous foul on substitute Sebastian Saucedo.
The U.S. plays their final Group B game on Feb. 24 against St. Kitts and Nevis knowing that a win will see them finish in the top two of the group. Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. CT on the CONCACAF Facebook page and Univision Deportes.
The top two finishers in each group will progress to the classification stage, which will consist of two groups of three and run from Feb. 27 to March 3. The top two teams from both groups will qualify for the 2017 FIFA Under-20 World Cup, while the top team in each group will advance to the CONCACAF Championship Final on March 5.
