Pepi, who scored the his first international goal to break a
second-half tie at Honduras last month, put the U.S. ahead in the 49th minute
to cap a quick end-to-end movement and added another goal in the 62nd.
Pepi made his Major League Soccer debut for Dallas in June
2019 and decided just before the start of qualifying to play for the U.S. over
Mexico.
“We’re just sitting there and we’re on the train,” U.S.
coach Gregg Berhalter said Thursday night after Pepi scored in the 49th and
62nd minutes in a 2-0 victory over Jamaica. “It’s amazing. I mean, an
18-year-old gets an opportunity and takes advantage of it. What you see, and I
think what I really like, he has this instinct, and it’s really hard to teach
that that to players. And he has an instinct to score.”
Pepi, an El Paso native whose goal broke a second-half tie
at Honduras in his international debut on Sept. 8, became the youngest American
to score in consecutive qualifiers.
With family and friends in the stands, he got the first goal
from a flowing movement as good as can be produced by the U.S., which outshot
the Reggae Boyz 17-5.
Goalkeeper Matt Turner rolled the ball to his right flank,
where Sergiño Dest ran onto it just outside his own penalty area. In a burst of
about 10 seconds, Dest sprinted forward while taking five touches and centered
the ball to Yunus Musah, who was on the run.
Making his qualifying debut, Musah took four touches and
dished wide to Dest, who one-timed a cross. Pepi broke away from Lowe and from
about 8 yards glanced a downward header that went in on a bounce to the right
of goalkeeper Andre Blake.
“Jamaica was so compact, we needed to go to the wings,” Pepi
said. “We unlocked them.”
Americans took advantage of space.
“We just didn’t quite get our press right,” Jamaica defender
Adrian Mariappa said. “At times just got a litte bit naive.”
Pepi scored again when he re-directed a cross from Brenden
Aaronson past Blake with from 6 yards after Antonee Robinson quickly moved up
the flank.
“It’s a special feeling being able to just score here in
Texas,” Pepi said.
Pepi made his Major League Soccer debut for Dallas in June
2019 and decided just before the start of qualifying this summer to play for
the U.S. over Mexico. His sudden rise on the international stage has sparked
interest in European clubs interested in a transfer.
“I felt like it’s coming,” he said of all the attention. “I
don’t know if it’s too fast or if it’s too slow. I feel like it’s coming and
whatever is going to come is going to come, and I feel like I have to be ready
for it.”
Playing without injured attackers Christian Pulisic and Gio
Reyna, the 13th-ranked U.S. improved to eight points after four of 14 matches
in the final round of the North and Central American and Caribbean region.
Mexico dropped to second on goal difference after being held
1-1 by visiting Canada, which is third with six. Jorge Sanchez scored in the
21st minute for El Tri and Jonathan Osorio tied it in the 42nd.
Panama and El Salvador have five each after the Salvadorans
won 1-0 at home on Enrico Hernández’s 37th-minute goal. Honduras and Costa Rica
have three points apiece following a 0-0 draw in San Pedro Sula. No. 59
Jamaica, which has not gone to the World Cup since 1998, has one point.
Five more Americans made qualifying debuts, raising the
total to 21 in four matches,
Musah like Pepi is 18, and Aaronson, Musah and Dest are 20.
Their energy showed.
“They were dead in the second half,” Aaronson said. “We
tired them out because of the first half, the runs in behind.”
In the very first minute, Aaronson passed to Pepi who gave
the ball to Paul Arriola breaking in. Kemar Lawrence pulled him down and was
given a yellow card by referee Reon Radix of Grenada.
“It’s early in the game, I don’t think it should be a red
card,” Aaronson said, “But maybe it could have.”
Jamaica was missing West Ham striker Michail Antonio, who
decided not to travel, and injured Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey.
“The second half we lost our discipline and the U.S. team
capitalized on our mistakes,” Jamaica coach Theodore Whitmore said.
Turner stretched to make a diving parry of Damion Lowe’s
shot headed to the far post in the 41st minute. That was Jamaica’s only shot on
target.
“I don’t even think we think of ourselves as young guys
anymore,” Aaronson said. “We’re put in a situation where the whole country is
looking at us and we need to perform, and everybody’s takes on this challenge.”
Next up for the U.S. is a game at Panama — on the fourth
anniversary of the loss at Trinidad that kept the Americans from the 2018 World
Cup.
“We can’t get too carried away,” Berhalter said. “The trap
is going to be us thinking, we’re great and us thinking we’ve qualified for the
World Cup, and if we do that we’ll get our ass kicked in Panama on Sunday.”