Starting Lineup: Matt Turner, Joe Scally, Miles Robinson, Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, Malik Tillman, Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah, Folarin Balogun, Christian Pulisic.
Subs: Ethan Horvath, Drake Callender, Tyler Adams, Gio Reyna, Ricardo Pepi, Brenden Aaronson, Tim Ream, Haji Wright, Johnny Cardoso, Mark McKenzie, Kristoffer Lund.
Suspended: Sergino Dest
Imagine the worst possible way for this match to start. Got it? I am almost certain not even you had it down on your bingo card the way action would kickoff in this match. USMNT were back in action today in the Concacaf Nations League semifinals, coming in looking to defend their title against the always tough, Jamaica. One thing you want to make sure of when you face off against the Reggae Boyz, is you don’t let them get going early.
Unfortunately for the USA, they did just that. An incredible sequence of bobbles, mishits, and poor touches resulted in Jamaica finding enough space amidst the chaos to get off a decent chip pass that lofted over defenders and onto the rising head of Greg Leigh, who came flying at the back post to get his head on it and give Jamaica the lead just 30 seconds into the match.
Surely you can guess what happened next. That’s right, Jamaica immediately began to sit back and defend for their lives with the lead. Surprisingly they were able to make it to halftime without conceding the equalizer. Just look at the possession, USMNT had a whopping 80% of possession in the first half, with nine shots, but just one finding the target. They also had a massive 383 successful passes to Jamaica’s 77. Again, the Reggae Boyz absolutely looked to absorb all of that, but you got the sense that if the USA could come out more clinical in that final third, a comfortable win was still on the table for them in the second half.
With the halftime break done, tactics, hopefully, adjusted, and some substitutions in the works, the USA looked to get the comeback going. They got off to a great start, nearly finding the back of the net in the opening seconds of the half. Jamaica started the final half not sitting back, to their credit, and at least attempted to take the ball off the USA as they looked to double their lead on a counter attack. However, the USA came out way too tough, keeping the ball away from the Reggae Boyz as they hunted for that equalizer.
The Reggae Boyz nearly got that second goal on the break, but thankfully Turner was able to swallow up the attempt. Shortly after, in the 62nd minute, we saw three subs enter the match as USA continued to fight for their first goal of the match. Reyna, Pepi, and Wright came onto the pitch looking to make a difference in the match with just over 20 minutes left to play.
The steam US built up early in the half began to wane around the 70th minute. Jamaica looked to be getting more confident in not just the result, but in finding a second, and oh yea, Mexico fans began to arrive ahead of their team’s match taking place after this one, making it even more hostile for the USA as they began to cheer on the Reggae Boyz in the final moments. It was USA against the world, and they had just over ten minutes to quiet them all.
For a moment, it looked like Jamaica was going to find a way to get away with this one. However, USA had one more opportunity to save their title defense and boy did they make the absolute most of it. In the final action of the match, USA sent all of its players into the final third as they prepared for the corner kick. The kick found its target, a leaping Miles Robinson who got his head on it, and the shot deflected off the Jamaican defender, and found its way into the back of the net for the equalizer right at the very end. The Reggae Boyz, rightly stunned, with the USA running off in celebration as we got set for another 30 minutes of this chaotic Concacaf action.
https://x.com/USMNT/status/1770978363542261794?s=20
Smelling blood in the water, and probably wanting to avoid a penalty shootout, the USA wasted no time in securing their second goal. In the 96th minute it was Haji Wright who got on the end of the pass from Reyna as he blew past one defender, got the ball as he muscled past another defender, and struck it with his left to give USA the lead after struggling to score for most of the match. The goal definitely shifted momentum, as Jamaica looked defeated, and USA looked ready to score some more.
https://x.com/CBSSportsGolazo/status/1770981442853482879?s=20
Wright must have been feeling real strong in that Extra Time, putting the team on his back. In the 109th minute he got another goal. Once again finding himself behind the defense, and while the initial pass was hard for him to control, he stuck with it, hit them with the spin move and slotted it home with his right foot to give the USA a comfortable two goal lead.
The final whistle blew, and the USA, who at one point looked like they wouldn’t get the chance to properly defend their Nations League title, found themselves celebrating as they punch their ticket to the big stage. All that is left now is waiting a few more hours to see who they will face in the final. A shot for a 3-peat still very much alive, even if it wasn’t the best of matches for the boys.
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