USMNT beats Jamaica, 1-0, in tense Nations League quarterfinal

After last month’s hesitant, underwhelming performances against Panama and Mexico, Pochettino asked the USMNT to fight — both for the badge and for each other. The team entered this match ready to deliver on his request. 

“We know that it’s going to be a really challenging game with the conditions and a physical team, so we have to match their intensity before even trying to play or anything like that,” midfielder Yunus Musah said before the match. “We have to really be ready to fight, really. That’s the key thing.”

Fight they did. The team struck almost immediately, with Christian Pulisic setting up Ricardo Pepi in the fourth minute for the game’s only goal. 

It was a simple strike — Pepi beat Jamaica’s offside trap and bounced his shot off the far post — but it spoke to a new confidence and verve for the USMNT’s attack. It takes real trust to pull off simple moves like these; Pulisic and Pepi have clearly built that trust under Pochettino.

The gameplay — and the field — deteriorated as the match went on, but the USMNT was able to hang onto its early lead. 

Goalkeeper Matt Turner gave the team a scare in the 14th minute when he handed Jamaica a soft penalty, but he redeemed himself by saving Demarai Gray’s shot in spectacular fashion.

It’s been a rough year for Turner; he’s fallen out of favor with his club team, Crystal Palace, and has struggled to find the playing time he needs to stay sharp for the USMNT. While he’ll rue conceding this penalty, he’ll no doubt be comforted by the strength and skill of his save.

Jamaica made a formation change in the second half, trading out its five-man defense for a more aggressive midfield, and the switch swung the game firmly in favor of the Reggae Boyz. 

The USMNT defense was put to the test as Aston Villa’s Leon Bailey, Spartak Moscow’s Shamar Nicholson and Hull City’s Kasey Palmer hit shot after shot at the American net. Jamaica finished this game with double the shots of the USMNT; the fact that the game ended 1-0 in the USMNT’s favor underlines just how cool its defense remained under pressure. 

Center back Mark McKenzie was the best player on the field; left back Antonee Robinson was a close second for the Americans.

But for all of the USMNT’s clear progress under Pochettino, the team’s performance still left plenty to be desired. Wingers Johnny Cardoso and Malik Tillman struggled to break through Jamaica’s defense despite being in great form for their respective club teams. 

Captain Tim Ream — who, at 37, was the oldest USMNT player by some distance — looked well off the pace against Jamaica’s pacy forwards. Also Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie, whose return to full fitness was heralded by many as a game-changer for the USMNT, failed to impose himself on the match and struggled to find any passing rhythm. 

There’s plenty more work for Pochettino to do to refine this group of players.

Fortunately, Pochettino won’t have to wait long to make those improvements. He and the USMNT will face Jamaica on Monday in St. Louis in the second leg of this Nations League quarterfinal. The winner will be decided on aggregate; if the USMNT falls 2-0 to Jamaica at home, Jamaica will advance despite its loss in this opening fixture.

That means one thing: goals matter immensely in the second leg. The USMNT has struggled to find them in the opening matches of the Pochettino era — will it break that trend and seal its spot in the semifinals?