MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (CMC) – Marlo Pelosi set-up one goal and scored the decisive strike to put the United States into the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Under-17 Boys’ Championship with a 3-2 victory in extra time over El Salvador yesterday.
After Alejandro Guido of the United States, and Jose Pena of El Salvador scored early in the ill-tempered second quarterfinal at the Catherine Hall Stadium, they required extra time to separate themselves.
Pelosi set-up Mario Rodriguez in the 95th minute before he scored seven minutes later to extend the lead of the Americans before Gerardo Iraheta slammed a futile penalty in stoppage time.
The result meant that the Americans extended their record of making every Under-17 World Cup, and set-up a semi-final contest against the winner of today’s fourth quarter-final between hosts Jamaica and Honduras.
Rodriguez volleyed Marc Pelosi’s rolling cross at the back post in the 95th minute, giving the dominant Americans a 2-1 lead.
Pelosi added the insurance strike, when Marc Guido dribbled through three Salvadoran defenders to reach the by-line and send a cross in front of the goal, where Pelosi finished.
The game, which finished with 52 fouls, quickly degenerated from there. American defender Kellyn Perry-Acosta was ejected with seven minutes remaining with his second yellow card, but both United States keeper Fernando Pina and El Salvador forward Jose Pena followed in the 115th.
Pina went high to grab a looping headed ball and on his landing caught Pena in the chest with his foot. After getting up, Pena retaliated, resulting in the referee awarding El Salvador a penalty and sending off both players.
Gerardo Iraheta converted the penalty in the 120th minute, but El Salvador never challenged for the equaliser.
Guido gave the Americans an early lead, when Joseph Amon received a return pass from Pelosi off his throw-in, and volleyed a cross into the area, where the forward headed from eight metres just inside the right post.
But Pena drew the Salvadorans level five minutes later, when he finished with a bounding effort across the goal inside the far post, following a daring run through the middle of the field.
The United States had the better of play for much of the rest of the first half, and also controlled most of the possession in the second half, but they had to put-in some extra work to claim the victory.