BALTIMORE — The passes were sharp, the defense sound and the goals plentiful.
The United States couldn’t have played much better, and the timing could not have been more perfect.
Clarence Goodson and Joe Corona scored during an eight-minute span of the first half, and the U.S. cruised past El Salvador 5-1 yesterday to advance to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Eddie Johnson, Landon Donovan and Mix Diskerud added second-half goals for the Americans, who will next play in Dallas on Wednesday against Honduras, a 1-0 winner over Costa Rica.
Assists aren’t an official statistic in the Gold Cup, but Donovan set up three scores in a dazzling performance.
“I think Landon proved again today how valuable he is and now he can make a difference,” coach Jurgen Klinsmann said. “This game was important for coaches to see who is a difference maker. Overall, we see our team clicking more and playing better and better.”
The U.S. has won nine straight full international matches — a record for the country’s national team. The Americans have also prevailed in seven of their last eight Gold Cup matches, the exception being a 4-2 loss to Mexico in 2011 final.
“We are trying to catch up with the big teams in the world,” Klinsmann said. “It’s all about speed. I’m not talking about physical speed. I’m talking about mental speed, passing speed with every player going both ways. That’s what we’re working to. This is a process and I think that process is coming along.”
The lone flaw in an otherwise lopsided match came in the 39th minute, when El Salvador’s Rodolfo Zelaya was fouled by DaMarcus Beasley and converted the penalty kick to make it 2-1.
“They’re the best team I’ve seen in this tournament,” El Salvador coach Agustin Castillo said through a translator. “They are a candidate to win it all.”