It wasn’t pretty but the United States men’s national team got the job done winning the first leg of the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal against Jamaica 1-0 on Thursday. Ricardo Pepi scored only five minutes into the match behind a Christian Pulisic assist and Matt Turner saved Demarai Gray’s penalty in the 14th minute before the defense went to work limiting chances. Jamaica will now be without Mason Holgate for the second leg on Monday in St. Louis as he was sent off with a second yellow card during a chippy second half. The U.S. finished with six shots, three on goal, while Jamaica had 12 shots and put two on frame.
The USMNT wouldn’t let injuries slow them down as they were without regulars such as Folarin Balogun, Josh Sargent, Tyler Adams, and Gio Reyna. Riding a solid defense and opportunistic play from Turner, they got the job done to put themselves in a strong position to advance. After only winning one of their last four games after disappointment at Copa America, there was worry coming into the match which was expelled quickly when Pepi found the back of the net with an excellent finish.
They’ll want to keep an eye on Leon Bailey after he created two chances and took two shots but the Reggae Boyz will be up against it without Holgate for the second leg. The USMNT also suffered a blow with Johnny Cardoso being withdrawn due to a hamstring injury but midfield is one of the areas where there is depth. Weah will also return from his suspension which will allow Yunus Musah to return to his more natural midfield role improving balance all around. The USMNT got the job done when it mattered, like with Turner’s penalty save and that’s what’s needed to survive and advance in Concacaf.
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Pochettino will want the attack to take control of matches in the future but without your top options, sometimes just taking care of the job at hand is all that can be done. Now the USMNT is only three victories from winning their fourth consecutive Concacaf Nations League title.
