The USA vs El Salvador match will be played on Sunday, July 21, 2013 at 1:00 PM Pacific at the M&T Stadium in Baltimore. The USMNT arrived to the quarterfinals thanks to its perfect form in Group C, winning all three matches. El Salvador qualified as the third place in Group B, and will face a difficult challenge in the USA.
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Click here for the USA vs El Salvador 5-1 highlights and analysis.
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The USMNT won all three games in the group stage, scored 11 goals, allowed just 2, and was overall just fantastic. Although the defense did allow a couple of soft goals against Cuba and Belize, the USA got the job done for the most part, winning games that they had to win.
Somewhat of a revelation for the USMNT, is San Jose striker Chris Wondolowski, who has scored 5 goals in the Gold Cup 2013. Wondolowski is capable of creating scoring opportunities when given space and good crosses. If Wondolowski and Donovan have a good game, the El Salvador squad will not have a shot at pulling off the upset.
El Salvador struggled in the group stage, they tied 2-2 against Trinidad & Tobago, lost 1-0 against Honduras, and defeated Haiti 1-0 in a must-win encounter. Now, they have to face a red-hot USMNT that is a big favorite to win the Gold Cup 2013. Nonetheless, El Salvador has two things going in its favor.
- Rodolfo Zelaya. The talented striker has scored three goals for El Salvador in this tournament, and has, by himself, pushed El Salvador to the quarterfinals. If Zelaya has an amazing game, El Salvador could pull off the big upset.
- Huge number of El Salvador fans. Baltimore has a large Salvadoran community; when El Salvador was confirmed to play in Baltimore, ticket sales exploded. Expect the vast majority of fans to be rooting for El Salvador.
If El Salvador can take advantage of the home-style atmosphere, and Zelaya has a great game, the Salvadorans might just be able to pull off a win. It’s a long-shot though, the USA has been playing very well.
USA vs El Salvador Prediction
The USA vs El Salvador match should be a game the United States will win, although it will be facing an extremely hostile crowd. The Baltimore areas has a large Salvadoran community, and the El Salvador fans are set to make their presence felt. Nonetheless, the USA is on an impressive winning streak, and have enough talent to see off a somewhat limited El Salvador squad.
The USA vs El Salvador match will end in a 3-1 victory for the USA, which will go on to face the winner of the Honduras vs Costa Rica quarterfinal.
USA vs El Salvador Live Television
The USA vs El Salvador match will be televised on Univision and Fox this Sunday, July 20, 2013 at 1:00 PM Pacific.
USA vs El Salvador Highlights
We will post the USA vs El Salvador highlights as soon as they are available at the end of the match, we will also include a full analysis. You can watch the USA vs Costa Rica 1-0 highlights for now.
