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USA squash St. Vincent & the Grenadines 6-1 to begin 2018 World Cup Qualifying

By Mike Gray
Patrick Smith/Getty Images

After a nervy start, the U.S. Men's National Team cruised to a 6-1 rout over St. Vincent and the Grenadines to kick off 2018 World Cup qualifying before a enthusiastic sellout crowd of 43,433 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

The Americans got off to the worst possible start in just the 5th minute when Oalex Anderson of the Sounders reserve team skinned DeAndre Yedlin centrally before firing past Guzan into the corner.

Panic briefly ensued before the U.S. fired right back. Michael Bradley slotted to DeAndre Yedlin deep in the box, and Yedlin atoned for his earlier mistake by squaring to Bobby Wood who headed into the net.

Wood should have doubled the Americans' lead when Fabian Johnson's sharp forlay through the St. Vincent midfield located Wood for a breakaway but his dink over the keeper was wide.

Bradley set up a dummy then cut inside, but a possible golazo was dashed when he shot straight at the keeper. Gyasi Zardes missed an opportunity when Wood played him in the box but he pulled the attempt well wide. 

Finally in the 30th minute, Fabian Jphnson benefitted from a lucky deflection as a free kick just outside the 18 wrong footed the keeper and nestled into the right corner.

The game began to resemble target practice as the U.S. soon scored once again. Off a corner kick, Jermaine Jones flicked a near post header to an unmarked Altidore, who lost his man before tapping a header into the net.

With time and space, Bradley whacked a shot that dipped just wide of the goal to end the half.

The goals continued to flow in the second half. Another corner kick and another near post flick allowed Geoff Cameron to pick the left corner from close range. In the 58th, Zardes neatly put away a breakaway before Jozy Altidore cut back from close range and fired a shot off a defender to score the sixth goal for the U.S.

In the 64th minute, Matt Miagza was officially cap-tied to the USA as he and midfielder Darlington Nagbe were subbed into the match to make their senior national team debuts.

With half a dozen strikes, the U.S. took the foot off the pedal as the game died down before the final whistle blew.

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