Jamaica comeback serves up another USMNT vs Mexico showdown

By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Mar 22, 2024) US Soccer Players – It didn’t go down the way anyone drew it up. But the United States ensured it would play for a third consecutive Concacaf Nations League title with a dramatic, messy 3-1 victory in extra time over Jamaica on Thursday night in Arlington, Texas. The Americans benefited from a Cory Burke own-goal seconds before the final whistle of regular time, then scored twice in extra time to seal advancement to Sunday’s final. Haji Wright scored both goals, his third and fourth for the national team.

The hero of the evening for the USA was a late addition to the squad. Wright, the lone goal scorer from the USMNT’s round of 16 loss to the Netherlands at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, didn’t appear on coach Gregg Berhalter’s initial 23-man roster for this year’s Nations League final four. A late injury to Norwich City’s Josh Sargent opened up a spot for the red-hot Coventry City forward to join the group.

Coming into the international window, Wright had scored four goals in four games for Coventry, including the match-winner in injury time in a dramatic FA Cup quarterfinal victory over Premier League outfit Wolverhampton on Saturday.

Berhalter had a veritable wealth of options for the center forward position. After the game, he noted that he’d told Wright “you’re doing everything right,” and to “just be patient” when he was left out at first. Soon enough the Americans benefited from Wright’s readiness to step in for Sargent and make a difference when called upon. The depth the United States has developed in recent years came to the fore in a game that started with a surprise 1st-minute goal from Jamaica, then shifted into a siege as the Reggae Boyz defended deep for nearly 95 minutes.

It was Wright who finished two chances to give the Americans the win. He wasn’t the only substitute who made a difference.

Down a goal and needing to change the dynamic on the field, Berhalter inserted Gio Reyna at halftime for fullback Joe Scally. The move required shifting Weston McKennie to right back from his natural center midfield role, where he is involved in so much of what the United States does both with and without the ball. McKennie’s usual industry in the middle of the field soon gave his team an outlet on the flank.

McKennie showed why he is so indispensable to the USMNT by playing the remainder of the match at a high level in an unfamiliar position. By moving McKennie into the back line, Berhalter got two of his key players onto the field while the USMNT was chasing the game without having to sacrifice a player higher in the formation.

Further changes came when Berhalter put on both Ricardo Pepi for Folarin Balogun and Wright for Tim Weah. Whether or not those adjustments fundamentally altered the US formation, the upshot was that they added two goal-dangerous players to a group in need of more attackers.

Reyna’s creative spark set up both of Wright’s goals. His clever slipped passes were vital to unlocking Jamaica’s stubborn, compact defending and Wright finished the work of putting the ball past Andre Blake twice in a 13-minute span. The second stands out for its quality: After getting the ball caught under his feet, he spun and fired the ball inside the far post.

With that result, the focus now shifts to a clash with Mexico at a raucous AT&T Stadium in yet another cup final clash. That was the matchup in the last two CNL finals, after all, and the finals of the 2019 and 2021 Gold Cup. While the Nations League and other factors have raised the collective level of Concacaf, the region’s two established powers maintain their grip on North American dominance.

Mexico did its part in the second semifinal on Thursday, defeating Panama by a 3-0 scoreline that somewhat flattered El Tri. Opportunistic goals, a wasteful performance from Panama in front of Mexico’s goal, and the heroics of goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa won the day for the favorites.

Whatever the story of the game, Mexico can feel good about the win and the tailwind pushing it into the final. Coach Jaime Lozano has brought a positive energy to the team since taking over after Mexico fell 3-0 to the USMNT in last year’s Nations League final in Las Vegas. Outside of a minor controversy around his decision to leave talented goalscorer Santiago Gimenez out of his lineup, Lozano is earning praise for his leadership.

Now, Lozano will get his shot to turn the tide in this rivalry and add to the Gold Cup trophy he won with Mexico last summer. No matter the frequency with which these neighbors meet, there’s no doubting how badly El Tri wants to flip that dynamic.

Following the halftime shakeup that helped the United States eventually find a way past Jamaica, Berhalter now faces profound choices with his starting lineup against Mexico. Mexico’s strength is in its midfield, where Edson Alvarez of West Ham is the key player. The USMNT bosss must be conscious of getting the balance right in a bid to not only limit Alvare but alsot set up his own players to succeed on the attacking end of the field.

Sergino Dest will be back from suspension and available for Sunday’s final, a boost for the USMNT. Dest’s fresh legs and skill on the ball will pose a problem for Mexico and help the Americans counter the threat posed by Club America winger Julian Quinones, one of Mexico’s three goalscorers in the semifinal.

Sunday will be the third Concacaf Nations League final and all three have featured the USMNT vs Mexico clash. For neutral observers, it might be getting a little predictable. For the United States and Mexico, however, it’s exactly as it should be.

Photo by Shaun Clark – ISIPhotos.com