Jozy Altidore continued his scoring blitz with a goal in his third straight match, Eddie Johnson thrilled his home club fans with a goal in the 53rd minute, and the United States took over first place in its World Cup qualifying group with a 2-0 win over Panama on Tuesday.

Altidore scored in the 36th minute on a perfect cross from Fabian Johnson, moments after a potential penalty kick for the Americans was denied.

Eddie Johnson then gave the U.S. some cushion when he collected Geoff Cameron's pass over the top of Panama's defense and slid a left-footed shot past Jaime Penedo less than 10 minutes into the second half.

The U.S. holds a two-point lead over Costa Rica and Mexico in the qualifying group in the 10-game final round of the North and Central American and Caribbean region. They will host Honduras next Tuesday night in Sandy, Utah.

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