USMNT vs Jamaica: Preview and How to Watch
By Daniel Garza
The United States Men’s National Team will look to claim their fifth CONCACAF Gold Cup title on Wednesday night against Jamaica.
After nearly three weeks of action, the Gold Cup will come to a close as the USMNT will try to capitalize on a fine performance at the competition. Their opponents, Jamaica, will be looking for their first ever title in the tournament after reaching the final for the first time in the 2015 edition of the Gold Cup.
In fact, the last meeting between these two sides in the Gold Cup was one of Jamaica’s biggest wins in recent memory, aside from their upset of Mexico in the 2017 semifinals. The win allowed the Reggae Boys to advance to the final to face Mexico in 2015, where they would come up short and finish as runners-up.
Road to the Final
Both countries will enter the final undefated in the compeition thus far. Jamaica finished in second place in Group C and the U.S. won Group B. In the quaterfinals, Jamacia slipped past Canada with a 2-1 win and the USMNT defeated El Salavador 2-0.
The semifinals saw Jamaica record a famous victory against Mexico thanks to a splendid free kick from Kemar Lawrence. Two goals in the second half lifted the Americans to a victory in the semis against Costa Rica.
Team Outlook
It will be an intersting goalkeeping battle between Andre Blake and Tim Howard. The two Major League Soccer netminders both turned in great performances in the semifinals. Blake has been stellar all tournament long and will need to come up big in this match.
With lots of speed and skill, the Jamaicans will test the U.S. defense. The USMNT backline will have to be smart and avoid taking unnessecary fouls. Additionally, the midfield for the Americans need to be able to slow down the counterattack and play more possession.
The introduction of Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore have been a huge help to the USMNT’s chances of success in the Gold Cup. Without their impact in the semifinals, the U.S. might not be in this position to win the tournament.
However, the U.S. has been able to get goals from unlikely sources at times and that has helped them immensely during this run. Jamaica will have to be careful to not get lazy on set pieces and ensure that everyone is tighlty covered.
Expect this to be a close match but the U.S. should have the upper hand here. Jamaica will need to play an almost indenticle match as they did against Mexico in order to win.
How to Watch
Who: United States vs. Jamaica
When: Wednesday, July 25-9:30 pm (ET)
Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California
How to Watch: FS1 and Univision
Streaming: FOX Sports Go App and fuboTV