Basseterre, June 13: David Rugamas scored a pair of first-half goals, California-born Joshua Pérez added another and El Salvador won 4-0 at St. Kitts and Nevis on Saturday, moving into commanding position to advance in World Cup qualifying.
The United States will be the opponent for the winner of the total-goals, second-round matchup when the final round of World Cup qualifying starts on September 2.
Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras and Jamaica also are in the eight-nation final round of the North and Central American region.
Rugamas scored in the third and 27th minutes. Pérez, a 23-year-old born in Montebello, California, scored in the 20th.
Darwin Cerén of the Houston Dynamo converted a penalty kick in the 64th minute against 135th-ranked St. Kitts.
In another first-leg match, Cyle Larin scored in the 14th minute in No. 70 Canada’s 1-0 win over No. 83 Haiti.
Also, No. 78 Panama defeated No. 76 Curaçao 2-1 in Panama City on goals by Alberto Quintero in the 55th minute and Cecilio Waterman in the 77th. Rangelo Janga scored for Curaçao in the 87th.
The top three CONCACAF teams qualify for the 2022 tournament in Qatar, and the 4th placed team advances to a playoff. (AP)
