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Just Win Baby!

 "Just win baby" it was the calling card of former Raiders owner Al Davis, and for USMNT fans that's what we got in tonight's 1-0 home win over El Salvador. This is not going to be a deep dive into the game (as I spent most of the 90 minutes chasing my young child around), but rather some general thoughts as all of our National Team players return to their clubs. 

First and foremost: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! We qualified for the Nations League semi-finals this summer and are one step closer to qualifying for the 2024 Copa America tournament that will be held here in the United States. This win does two things: it moves us on to the semi-finals of the years tournament and automatically qualifies us for the quarterfinals of the 2023-24 Nations League contest. That is important because if we win that 2023-24 Nations League quarterfinal game, we qualify for the 2024 Copa America tournament. So while this win wasn't what we'd all hoped for, it got the job done.

Secondly, WE WON! The Twitter comments have been terrible. No, our 1-0 home win over El Salvador didn't feel as good as Friday's 7-1 road victory at Grenada but it's still three points. I'm a child of the 1990's and some of my first international competition memories are the same as a lot of yours: Michael Jordan and company beating the likes of Spain 140-57. That's not realistic in international soccer. I admit those teams set the bar unreasonably high for every US team and player to ever wear the red, white, and blue. 

Ricardo Pepi had a great window, scoring three goals in two games. A lot was made over the weekend of the fact he wasn't on the World Cup roster, and I agree with that sentiment. He had a tough spell after moving from FC Dallas to Augsburg in Germany, but has really taken off since his loan spell to Groningen of the Dutch Eredivisie. I hope he gets a permanent move to a club he can continue to shine with and grow with. The fact that he still hasn't reached his 21st birthday is shocking to think about. 

Behind Pepi our striker depth is still wide open. If you asked me today I would rank them: Pepi, Sargent, Vasquez, Dike, Ferreira, Pefok, and Wright. Obviously Flo Balogun changes all of that, but he still hasn't committed. It's a good problem to have that many quality players, but going forward someone will have to really stand out to top Pepi and Sargent in my eyes. 

Relax, enjoy your week and get ready for a great weekend of MLS matches coming your way! 

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