USA Vs. El Salvador: U.S. Dominates El Salvador In 2013 Gold Cup Quarterfinals Match, 5-1

The U.S. clearly dominated its quarterfinal match against El Salvador in Sunday's bout at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md. The U.S. cleaned house both halves, assaulting El Salvador's defenses. The relentless attacks by the U.S. resulted in a 5-1 victory, with El Salvador being eliminated from the competition.

The U.S. kept El Salvador on its toes for the first 45, scoring its first goal in only 21 minutes of play. The goal came when Clarence Goodson made good on a corner kick delivered by the U.S.'s Jose Francisco Torres. Goodson, who took a yellow card early in the game, tallied his third career Gold Cup goal with that move. It didn't take long for the U.S. to build momentum as it scored again only eight minutes later when Joe Benny Corona Crespin kicked the ball in for an open play goal. El Salvador, however, was able to push back after a significant dearth in scoring when the referees called a penalty on Damarcus Beasley for knocking down Rodolfo Antonio Zelaya. Zelaya went on to deliver on the penalty kick in the 38th minute, leaving the teams with a one-goal margin at the end of the first 45.

The U.S. didn't miss a beat returning for the final 45 when the team issued a substitution, swapping Chris Wondolowski for Eddie Johnson. Following a corner kick from Landon Donovan, Johnson pulled a spectacular header, putting the ball in the net at 59 minutes of play, just moments after he arrived on the field. El Salvador was not looking to go down easily as it started the final 45 on the attack, though most of its chances -- three of which coming from Santamaria -- resulted in the ball going wide of the net. The U.S. relentlessly attacked El Salvador's goal mouth, resulting in two more goal. Donovan scored in the 78th minute. He is the top goal scorer for the U.S. in career Gold Cup matches. As with the previous 45, the U.S. came back again in but a few minutes, garnering another goal thanks to Mikkel Diskerud.

The game ended with an unmistakable victory by the U.S. as El Salvador found itself unable to recover. The U.S. moves on to the semifinals as its next opponent is to be decided.