Gregg Berhalter’s men have a point to prove after a poor Gold Cup quarter-final showing against Curacao
The USMNT will play Jamaica in Nashville for the right to play Mexico in Sunday’s 2019 Gold Cup final at Soldier Field, Chicago.
It is a repeat of the 2017 final, in which goals from Jozy Altidore and Jordan Morris helped the host nation to a 2-1 victory, as well as the 2015 semifinal, when Jamaica stunned the United States 2-1 behind goals from Darren Mattocks and Giles Barnes.
Under the guidance of Gregg Berhalter for the first time in a competitive environment, the U.S. has been in stop-start form at this competition, notably struggling past minnows Curacao in the quarterfinals.
And after losing 1-0 to Jamaica in a pre-tournament friendly, the squad is acutely aware it has to step its performance level up for this clash.
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) .
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will be available to watch via FreeSports.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| FreeSports | N/A |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Jamaica squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Blake, Miler, Knight |
| Defenders | Topey, Hector, Powell, Francis, Lowe, Lawrence, Lambert |
| Midfielders | Lewis, Bailey, Morris, Watson, Vassell, Magee, Williams |
| Forwards | Orgill, Foster, Mattocks, Nicholson, Flemmings, Brown |
Jamaica is without centre-back Damion Lowe for this encounter as he is suspended due to yellow card accumulation.
Je-Vaughn Watson has been cleared to play after suffering a swollen ankle earlier in the week.
Andre Lewis is expected to come into the midfield, while starting spots for Devon Williams and Peter Lee Vassell have not been ruled out.
Jamaica starting XI: Blake; Powell, Francis, Hector, Lawrence; Bailey, Williams, Watson; Flemmings, Mattocks, Vassell.
| Position | USA squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Steffen, Johnson, Miller |
| Defenders | Lima, Gonzalez, Zimmerman, Ream, Cannon, Lovitz, Miazga, Long |
| Midfielders | Bradley, Trapp, McKennie, Pulisic, Roldan, Mihailovic |
| Forwards | Arriola, Zardes, Morris, Altidore, Lewis, Boyd |
The U.S. is projected to have its full squad available for this match. After a limp offensive display last time out, Gyasi Zardes may be replaced by Jozy Altidore at the forefront of the attack.
Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie will both start – having missed the defeat to Jamaica at Audi Field last month.
USMNT starting XI: Steffen; Cannon, Miazga, Long, Ream; McKennie, Bradley, Pulisic; Morris, Altidore, Arriola
Betting & Match Odds
The U.S. are strong favourites to win this match with Bet365 , priced 11/20. A draw is available at 5/2 while Jamaica are 13/2.
Match Preview
The USMNT will face its greatest test yet as it aims to defend the Gold Cup crown that it won two years ago.
Standing in its way to another final is Jamaica, the side it defeated in Santa Clara 2-1 in 2017 to lift its sixth trophy.
The team’s path to this point of the competition has been ungainly. Although there was a high against Trinidad & Tobago in the group stage, the progress of the U.S. has been unconvincing, typified by their struggle to overcome minnows Curacao in the previous round.
“We could’ve been more aggressive with that, for sure, and that’s something that I think about,” head coach Greg Berhalter, who took charge of the USMNT in December 2018.
Berhalter was put onto the back foot by a string of defeats in pre-tournament friendlies, including a 1-0 reverse against Jamaica, a side he has praised for their attacking aptitude.
“Jamaica has quality. They’ve always had quality, especially in their attacking positions,” he said. “When you talk about Leon Bailey or Dever Orgill, it’s a talented group of players.”
Tim Ream, part of a back four that has not conceded a goal throughout the torunament, has pinpointed the speed of the opponents’ transition as a critical factor to consider.
“We are expecting a fast, physical game as you always get with a team like Jamaica, and they will be very quick on counter-attacks and transitions and that is something that we will have to be wary of,” he said. “Jamaica have shown over this tournament that they start out really fast, powerful, that’s something that’s probably hard to sustain in the temperatures that we are playing in and the conditions.”
Meanwhile, Jamaica boss Theodore Whitmore is in buoyant mood.
“I’m very confident,” he told Jamaica Observer . “We know we have some hitches here and there, especially in the middle of the park, which is a concern. The last game against Panama we failed to connect from the middle to the final third, but we are here to grind out results regardless of the situation and against the USA it will be no different.”
Jamaica has been the runner-up in each of the last two Gold Cups – knocking the USMNT out at the semifinal stage in 2015 – and is now determined to go one better.
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