USA vs. Guatemala: Score and Twitter Reaction for 2018 World Cup Qualifying

The sky is not falling on the United States men's soccer team just yet.

The Americans came through with a much-needed 4-0 victory over Guatemala in a 2018 World Cup qualifying match Tuesday night in Columbus, Ohio. Clint Dempsey, Geoff Cameron, Graham Zusi and Jozy Altidore scored in a game that never felt in doubt after the victors staked claim to an early advantage.

The triumph comes after the U.S. lost in embarrassing fashion to the same Guatemala team Friday. USA Today called Tuesday's game "as close to a must-win as you can get when it comes to qualifying" since the United States was in third place in Group C entering play.

ESPN Stats & Info underscored just how important securing a win was for the Stars and Stripes:

The United States appeared to sense that desperation in the early going and looked like it had a different energy than it did in Friday's 2-0 loss. Brian Sciaretta of American Soccer Now recognized that:

That initial push paid off when Dempsey buried a shot in the back of the net just less than 12 minutes into the match:

ESPN FC shared the highlight:

Men in Blazers summarized what many in the crowd were thinking:

Paul Carr of ESPN Stats & Info noted the historical significance of the goal:

ESPN.com soccer columnist Jeff Carlisle described the play and also had some advice for American supporters who were on edge entering Tuesday's contest:

If United States fans were breathing sighs of relief after the first goal, they certainly were after the second score in the first half. This time, Cameron headed the ball in off a set-piece delivery by Michael Bradley:

Sciaretta pointed to Cameron's play as a primary reason why the Red, White and Blue were in full control:

Bryan Fischer of Bleacher Report put the dominance in perspective:

The United States took that 2-0 lead into the locker room, which was a serious problem for Guatemala, per Carr:

It took less than two minutes of action in the second half for the Americans to add yet another goal. Zusi connected for what felt like a backbreaker for Guatemala, and SportsCenter passed along a look at the celebrating home team:

Tyler Duffy of the Big Lead had some fun with fans' frustrations over the United States' coaching:

"

*Klinsmann signs extension through 2026*

— Tyler Duffy (@tyduffy) March 30, 2016"

Carr announced an interesting tidbit about that third goal:

The result was inevitable for most of the second half, but at least fans in Columbus got the opportunity to see Ethan Finlay come in as a replacement. Finlay is a member of the Columbus Crew of MLS, and Shawn Mitchell of the Columbus Dispatch said the "place [was] roaring" when he came off the bench.

Finlay even scored a goal late in the game, but it didn't count because of an offside call. The Playoff Guru of the San Francisco Chronicle did not agree with the whistle:

Men in Blazers had a message of consolation for the hometown hero:

The offside call wasn't the only unfortunate news for the Yanks in the second half. Bradley received a yellow card, which has future implications, as Carlisle noted:

Just for good measure, the United States sent fans home with one more goal in the final minutes. Dempsey danced with the ball a bit in the box before finding Altidore. ESPN FC captured the highlight:

Carlisle pointed to the critical goal differential after the blowout:

The additional insurance of the four-goal victory was a bonus, but American soccer fans are likely just relieved to see the win.

What's Next?

The United States (four points) was in third place in Group C entering Tuesday's game. Trinidad and Tobago had seven points, while Guatemala had six, which means even the three points the Americans earned don't make them a lock to advance to the next round of qualifying.

The top two teams from each of the three groups advance to the next stage, so the Americans cannot afford to rest on their bounce-back victory. They still have games left against Trinidad and Tobago (at home) and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (on the road), and another loss would be devastating.

USA Today noted the United States "would almost assuredly be favored in its final two matches," so coach Jurgen Klinsmann's team must take care of business moving forward.

As for Guatemala, there is still time for the Americans to slip up, but it also has to do its part in games against Trinidad and Tobago (on the road) and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (at home). If the Guatemalans can notch two victories, they would put more pressure on the Americans to earn three points in each of their last two games.

Postgame Reaction

It was a festive crowd in Columbus, and Finlay noticed, per Michael Arace of the Columbus Dispatch: "I have my own fans here, and for them to be cheering for the U.S. and to be a part of it, it's a moment I'll always remember."

Seventeen-year-old Christian Pulisic will also likely always remember Tuesday's match since it was his United States men's national team debut. He talked about it after the game, per ESPN FC:

Finlay and Pulisic were impressive, but Dempsey proved why he is one of the team's leaders by setting the tone in a pressure-packed game. He reflected on that pressure, per Andrew Keh of the New York Times:

"

You've got to look within yourself, man. How bad do you want it? How bad do you want to be going to the World Cup? How bad do you want to continue progressing the game in the States? You've got to put that on your shoulders, man. You got to represent your country with pride.

"

Even after the win, Klinsmann was still the subject of criticism by American soccer fans looking for more consistency. The coach said, per Keh, "I'm cool with that. I let people say whatever they would like to say. It's all good with me."

Some of that criticism will likely stop if the United States continues to play like it did Tuesday.