Morris Rescues USMNT With Late Equalizer on Wild Nations League Night in El Salvador

The U.S. men’s national team closed its penultimate camp before the World Cup at the place where its qualifying campaign for Qatar 2022 began. Although this time the stakes were a bit lower, the conditions were absolutely brutal—and it ultimately led to a galvanizing moment that the U.S. perhaps can take with it going forward.

Jordan Morris’s equalizer seconds into stoppage time salvaged a 1–1 draw in a Concacaf Nations League group match vs. El Salvador in which both sides wound up reduced to 10 men. 

The U.S. had gone behind on a rainy night while playing on a choppy pitch, but a spirited second-half effort got its just reward and a point at Estadio Cuscatlán in San Salvador. Following the U.S.’s 5–0 win over Grenada on Friday night, the Americans sit in second place in their Nations League group with four points and a game in hand on El Salvador, which has five points and only a match in the U.S. next year remaining in group play.

Gregg Berhalter’s side returned to the Cuscátlan, where it played to a 0–0 draw last September, for the game that capped the U.S.’s two-week, four-match gathering and whose chief purposes were building more toward the fall in Qatar and collecting more data points on particular players, whose roles going forward are still to be decided. The conditions represented the big variable for the night, though, making for a hellish, unpredictable experience.

Ethan Horvath got the start in goal for the U.S., which is still trying to sort out its goalkeeper situation entering the World Cup, while Haji Wright got an extended look at forward as Berhalter weighs his options at one of the other positions that remains a bit of a revolving door. Wright stepped in for Jesús Ferreira, whose four-goal game against Grenada helped his individual case and led the U.S. to its first three points in the secondary Concacaf competition.

Elsewhere of note in the U.S. XI, Aaron Long was given the start at center back for a fourth straight game, while Christian Pulisic earned the captain’s armband for the night, starting on one flank opposite Tim Weah.

El Salvador came out with some early aggression, though nothing tested Horvath in goal. The first of its two semi-chances on goal in the opening minutes was an audacious, long-range attempt from Christian Martinez, which didn’t come particularly close, while moments later, a diving header in the box from Nelson Bonilla also went wide of the U.S. goal.

The first U.S. foray forward came in the sixth minute, with left back Antonee Robinson winning a corner kick after delivering a dangerous cross. Pulisic’s attempt was easily cleared, but he regained possession, impressively stayed in play after getting to the end line and cutting a ball back, which Weah wound up wildly volleying wide of the mark from 20 yards.

El Salvador had another close call 15 minutes in, when a U.S. failure to clear allowed the hosts to loop the ball back into the U.S. box. It fell at the doorstep, but Bonilla wasn’t able to connect on his volley, perhaps expecting a bounce that never came, and Cameron Carter-Vickers ultimately cleared the danger.

After a quiet opening 22 minutes, Wright enjoyed a productive couple of sequences. First, he got to a ball down the right sideline before it could go out, charged forward and looked to play Brenden Aaronson in on goal only to have a last-ditch block put the ball out for the corner. On that set piece, Wright got his head to Tyler Adams’ service, keeping it alive for Yunus Musah, whose blast was blocked before it could hit the target.

El Salvador took the lead in the 35th minute. On a seemingly innocuous ball from the left, Larín tucked a tight-angled chance inside the near post, with Horvath shading a bit too far to the left and leaving space for the shot to go in while he remained rooted to the ground. Perhaps he was anticipating bend on the ball, or perhaps he thought right back Reggie Cannon had the block covered, but instead, Larín’s shot pierced the back of the net to make it 1–0 to the hosts.

The U.S. made a couple of changes at halftime, with Ferreira and Weston McKennie coming on, replacing Wright and Aaronson.

The two nearly made an instant impact in the 51st minute, with McKennie splitting the defense with a low ball in behind for Ferreira to run onto. The FC Dallas forward took a touch out wide to round the goalkeeper, but his attempt to fire into the vacated net was blocked off the line.

Another close call for the U.S. came in the 59th minute, with Musah a one-man transition machine. The Valencia midfielder darted by El Salvador defenders on a sensational run before playing it to Weah to his right. The winger crossed back for Musah, whose low shot was turned away by Mario González’s kick save.

The U.S. was reduced to 10 men with just over 20 minutes to go. Paul Arriola, who had come on for Weah in the 61st minute, attempted to be first to the ball after Adams slipped it through into El Salvador’s box, but as he went to ground, he raised his leg and caught Larín, with referee César Ramos going straight to the red card to send Arriola off.

The match became 10-v-10 eight minutes later. Musah was at the center of the action again, running a give-and-go with Ferreira and surging in behind El Salvador’s last line of defense. Ronald Rodríguez clipped Musah from behind, and as the last man back was promptly sent off. Musah nearly scored on the ensuing free kick, but González came up with the acrobatic save to keep the U.S. from equalizing.

The U.S. had a couple of close calls late, with a handball shout going unheard and McKennie having a great chance saved by González. The Salvadoran rearguard finally broke in the 90th minute, though. Morris, in off the bench, got his head to service from another sub, Luca de la Torre, and he headed in the equalizer to make it 1–1.