Following a win that was… it was a win and a win is a win, the USMNT will take on Jamaica in the second leg of the Concacaf Nations League quarter-finals. The win in Jamaica puts the USA in the driver’s seat with a goal advantage. The match is taking place in the heartland of American soccer Energizer Park at CITYPARK, that’s the real name of the stadium, in St. Louis, Missouri. With homefield advantage and a win in the bank, the USA come in as heavy favorites to move on to the semis.
A better looking performance would be nice
A win is a lot of things, for one – it’s a win. What happened in Kingston was certainly a win but it was a hideous ugly duckling of a way to come out with a victory. The Americans are capable of better as was evidenced by the goal scored in the 5th minute and perhaps can emerge as a beautiful swan with graceful passing and intentional possession in leg 2.
That might be hard to come by as Johnny Cardoso came off with an injury in the first half against Jamaica. He was replaced by an attacking midfielder as there wasn’t a comparable player on the bench (because Tyler Adams is in England) to come on for him. How Mauricio Pochettino handles that will determine the effectiveness of the American midfield.
Jamaica sure struggled but had some moments
For their part, Jamaica had a tough time in the match. They actively avoided possession and instead opted for trying to hit the USA on the counter or make something happen on set pieces. It almost worked as a free kick and corner in the second half almost brought the game even. Jamaica needs to play more aggressively, when they decide to do that is another issue.
They will be out with a key player as starting center back Mason Holgate earned two yellows and is suspended for the match. The attack from the USA is skillful and Ricardo Pepi seems to be emerging as a goal threat for the Americans. Missing a starting defender makes the task of keeping him and Christian Pulisic at bay that much more difficult.
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