Jamaica vs USA: The 2017 final comes in the semi’s
Jamaica and the USA will square off for the third straight time at a Gold Cup as both teams battle for a finals berth on Wednesday evening.
The Reggae Boyz will be looking to get revenge on the Stars and Stripes for their 2017 Gold Cup final defeat. In that game, the USA won 2-1, and they themselves got revenge on Jamaica for their 2015 semi-final loss, where they lost by the exact same score-line.
Although Jamaica have not been able to feature at a World Cup since 1998, they have been quietly making their way up the rankings when it comes to CONCACAF tournaments. Interestingly, their current coach, Theodore Whitmore, was the man who helped fired Jamaica to their first – and only to date – World Cup win with a brace against Japan. Whitmore, a former midfielder took over the reins of the national team in 2016, and it was under his guidance that Jamaica recorded their best ever finish at a Gold Cup tournament in 2017.
Earlier this year – in fact, in June – Jamaica warmed up for this tournament by beating the USA 1-0 in a friendly. Now, nearly exactly a month later, they will again take on the Stars and Stripes, who are looking to defend their Gold Cup title. The last time they beat them at this juncture, they made it to the final, where they were unfortunately defeated by Mexico. That’s the team they will have to face, though, if they can edge out Gregg Berhalter’s side.
The Yanks, who have none other than rising star Christian Pulisic in their ranks – have been simply unstoppable so far at this tournament. They are not only unbeaten in their four games thus far, but also have yet to concede a single goal.
The reigning champs cruised to easy wins in their first two group stage games: 4-0 versus Guyana and got revenge on Trinidad and Tobago for beating them in World Cup qualifiers by thrashing the Caribbean side 6-0. Although the goals have not been coming as readily lately, and they had to work a lot harder than expected to earn a 1-0 win over tiny Curaçao, the USMNT are still viewed as the slight favorites in this one simply due to their experience and track record at Gold Cups.
Should they see off Jamaica, the USA will be featuring in their 11th final. Jamaica, for their part, will be hoping to feature in their third straight final – and prove that third time is a charm by winning it.
