USA 5-1 Panama: World Cup 2022 qualifying – live!

LIVE – Updated at 02:11

Minute-by-minute report: The Americans took a huge step towards Qatar 2020 after their rout of Panama.

Walker Zimmerman speaks: “Every single goal counts. We weren’t happy with conceding late.”

Other than that, he’s pretty happy, as most people associated with the US team would be and should be.

See you Wednesday night, when the USA would be maybe 99% certain of sealing its World Cup berth.

Fox goes to break by playing Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA, the perpetually misunderstood litany of this country’s difficulties.

Another option: Van Halen’s Panama?

Berhalter speaks about Pulisic: “He’s part of the leadership council of our team. I think more important is that Christian has been through it before.”

This is someone who wants a nap. Can’t blame him. Surely the adrenaline is fading fast.

To say they did what they had to do would be an understatement. Facing a team that beat them 1-0 in October, the US men weathered multiple storms and converted almost every significant chance for a 5-1 win. Only an utter catastrophe -- to be precise, a loss by six or more goals -- in Costa Rica would keep the team from a trip to Qatar.

And still, Gregg Berhalter is lecturing the referee. Maybe he wants to miss the final game of qualification?

90 min +1: Panama continues to press, hoping to prolong their World Cup qualification campaign by scoring five goals in two minutes.

90 min: A soccer game is still taking place.

88 min: Torres walks over and bumps into Reyna right in front of the referee, who very sternly says he can only do that 20 more times before a yellow card is produced. Concacaf. (In fairness, the referee’s advantage play on the second US goal was outstanding. And I surely make worse calls