Erik Palmer-Brown captained the U.S. Under-20 National Team for the fifth consecutive game as the side earned a feisty 2-1 victory over El Salvador to clinch a spot in the CONCACAF U-20 Championship Final and the FIFA U-20 World Cup this summer.
Palmer-Brown played the opening 32 minutes before being replaced by Sebastian Saucedo with his side two goals to the good.
Emmanuel Sabbi gave the U.S. the lead in the 18th minute when he was played clean through on goal by Eryk Williamson, and he finished confidently beyond Mario Martinez in the El Salvador goal.
In the 25th minute, the U.S. added a second when Williamson latched on to a loose ball approximately 25 yards out before lashing a thunderous half volley in off the post.
Three minutes after Palmer-Brown exited the game, El Salvador pulled a goal back when Marvin Ayala fired home an opportunist strike from inside the area.
The second half descended into a scrappy affair that saw referee Jafeth Perea Amador dish out six yellow cards – including a second booking to Kevin Reyes as El Salvador were reduced to 10 men in the 80th minute.
In the closing stages, U.S. midfielder Saucedo was shown a straight red card for a high challenge on Josue Santos, who was also sent off for striking Saucedo in the face during the aftermath.
The result seals a spot in the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup for the U.S., which will take place in South Korea from May 20 through June 11.
Palmer-Brown and the U.S. U-20s will face Honduras in the CONCACAF Championship final on Sunday at the Estadio Nacional in Costa Rica, with kickoff set for 3 p.m. CT on the CONCACAF Facebook page and Univision Deportes.
