The last thirty minutes of the US Men's National Team's Semi-Final Match of the CONCACAF Nations League against Jamaica was thrilling and exciting. You saw Gio Reyna and Haji Wright link up for two fabulous goals to slice through the Jamaican defenders and beat Andre Blake-handedly. With that type of performance, you would be celebrating a win for this group of players who ply their trade in the best leagues of Europe.
But sadly, the ninety minutes before extra time came were a complete and utter disaster. They fell asleep at the opening kickoff and got caught napping as Jamaica whipped in a beautiful cross from the far side to the near. Gregory Leigh headed in the opening goal thirty seconds into the match, as the panic button was getting pounded repeatedly by American soccer fans.
They were getting low-blocked all game long by Jamaica's defense inside the Reggae Boys area and couldn't make a dent. When they did find a seem, their passes were a half step behind or off target. They looked hesitant, unsure of themselves, and at times got beaten by looping balls, but thankfully, Jamaica couldn't convert on those chances due to poor shot selection and offside flags raised. It took an own goal in second-half stoppage time from Jamaica's Corey Burke to beat his goalkeeper, Andre Blake, after Miles Robinson tried a flick header toward the net at the death to force extra time.
It took a miracle for the US Men's National Team to salvage extra time as it looked for sure that Jamaica was going to the CONCACAF Nations League final to face either Mexico or Panama. While Head Coach Gregg Berhalter did make the necessary substitutions, his tactics failed for the full ninety minutes of regulation. You could say the pitch laid down on the field turf at AT&T Stadium was part of the problem, but for Jamaica, it wasn't. They looked strong and played their game perfectly. Head Coach Heimir Hallgrimsson managed this game to perfection until Burke's own goal shocked and disappointed them.
That's when the USA struck and got those two goals from the combined play of Reyna and Wright. Yes, Jamaica was Jamaica, but you can see how their head coach has improved their play and found a way to frustrate the US Men's National Team during regulation time. They did fight back, but once again, their entire performance was a complete shambles. This match should be a perfect example of how not to play during international competition. At least Jamaica hit them early and wanted to suffocate them for the rest of the match.
It was nice to see Tyler Adams returning to the National Team and getting minutes. While I understood he wanted to keep going, he was on a minutes clock from both Berhalter and his club, Bournemouth, so that meant his night was over as Johnny Cardoso subbed in for him inside extra time.
They should feel fortunate that they never fell to the third-place match on Sunday as they take on the winner of Mexico-Panama in the other Semi-Finals. They will now defend their title on Sunday, and they better wake up quickly, or else it could be a long evening deep in the heart of Texas.
Wondering if Greg B will START Gio Reyna at the Final, given that the fast-pace of the Mexicans need to be matched....?