Burkina Faso
Czech Republic
Indonesia
Lithuania
Montenegro
Nigeria
North Macedonia

Preview: USA vs. Jamaica - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 22 June 2023, 00:48
The USA will defend its Gold Cup crown, beginning on Saturday when they host Jamaica at Soldier Field in Chicago.

Last Sunday, the Yanks retained their CONCACAF Nations League title by defeating Canada 2-0 in the final, while the Reggae Boyz have yet to win a match this year, dropping a 2-1 friendly versus Jordan earlier this week.

Match preview

Despite the coaching uncertainty and a scandal that broke following their exit from the 2022 World Cup, the Americans put it aside this past weekend and lifted another trophy on the continental stage.

That coaching question has since been answered as Gregg Berhalter will re-assume his role as full-time manager when this competition concludes, after being away from the sidelines, while the US federation looked into a domestic abuse case involving the man who guided them to the finals in Qatar.

BJ Callaghan will be leading them into the Gold Cup this year, and his tenure as interim boss has proven to be memorable as his players were clinical in their Nations League semi-final triumph over arch-rivals Mexico (3-0) and followed that up with an equally impressive victory in the final, having now claimed three straight CONCACAF titles for the first time.

As is often the case at this tournament, it appears as though the US will be trying to get more youngsters some international experience, with 14 players on the 23-man roster having accumulated fewer than 10 caps, while Sean Johnson and Aaron Long are the only ones selected who are 30 years of age or above.

Many of the players selected may be experiencing this competition for the first time, however, the Americans are used to making deep runs at the Gold Cup, appearing in the final 12 times, winning it all on seven occasions, one shy of the record currently held by Mexico.

They have captured eight successive group encounters at this tournament and have not suffered a defeat at that stage of the competition since a 2-1 loss to Panama in 2011.

Heading into this encounter, the Yanks are unbeaten in their previous five matches against the Jamaicans, outscoring them 7-1 in its last three home games combined.

Making their fifth successive trip to the Gold Cup, there is a belief that this upcoming tournament may be the last opportunity for many Jamaican standouts to win a trophy on the continental stage.

Jamaica came close to winning this competition not too long ago, becoming the first Caribbean nation to reach the final in 2015 and making it again two years later, but falling at the final hurdle versus Mexico and the USA, respectively.

Heimir Hallgrimsson assumed control of the Reggae Boyz in September 2022, and the man who led Iceland to its first World Cup appearance in 2018 is still searching for his first victory as the Jamaican boss, with his side squandering a 1-0 lead versus Jordan the last time out.

Since taking charge, Hallgrimsson has seen his side miss numerous opportunities to claim victories, as the Jamaicans have squandered a lead in three of his seven matches at the helm.

You have to go back to early June 2019 for the last time they defeated the US, capturing a 1-0 victory in a friendly played in Washington DC, with its previous Gold Cup triumph against them coming at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta when the Reggae Boyz upset the Yanks 2-1 in the semi-finals.

At the 2021 Gold Cup, the Jamaicans were knocked out in the quarter-finals by the United States 1-0, while they have made it beyond the group stage in each of its previous four appearances at this tournament.

It has been over a year since this team defeated a country within their region, beating Suriname 3-1 in early June 2022 in Nations League play.

USA form (all competitions):

D

W

W

D

W

W

Jamaica form (all competitions):

D

L

D

D

L

L

Team News

John Tolkin and Gabriel Slonina are the least experienced Americans chosen for this tournament, with just a single cap each, DeAndre Yedlin has the most with 78 appearances, while Julian Gressel, Alan Sonora, Aidan Morris, Jalen Neal and DeJuan Jones have only featured twice for the senior side.

Chris Richards and Folarin Balogun, who were not selected for this tournament, each notched their first international goals in their Nations League triumph versus Canada, with Matt Turner, who will be with them at the Gold Cup, collecting a clean sheet, his 15th with the national team, putting him third all-time among American goalkeepers behind Tim Howard (29) and Kasey Keller (34).

Miles Robinson, who scored the winning goal for the US in the 2021 Gold Cup final, is one of six players from that squad that will be on the 2023 team, along with Turner, Gianluca Busio, Sean Johnson, Cristian Roldan and James Sands.

Two Jamaicans chosen for this tournament are seeking their first appearance for the national team, including Brandon Cover and Coniah Boyce-Clarke, while Jahmali Waite picked up his fourth cap between the sticks in their 2-1 loss to Qatar earlier this month.

Adrian Mariappa is their most experienced player chosen for this tournament with 68 caps, four more than captain Andre Blake, while Shamar Nicholson is the top goalscorer selected, netting 10 times.

Cory Burke had the only goal in their previous match versus Jordan, his seventh for the national team, while Dujuan Richards and Kaheem Parris are still searching for their first with the senior squad.

USA possible starting lineup:

Turner; Yedlin, Robinson, Miazga, Tolkin; Sands, A. Morris; Roldan, Busio, Vazquez; Cowell

Jamaica possible starting lineup:

Blake; Brown, Mariappa, King, Bell; Richards, Russell, Lambert, Parris; Nicholson, Burke

We say: USA 2-0 Jamaica

The United States have perhaps the best talent pool to choose from in all of CONCACAF, and although many of those selected have not played together on the international stage, they should be familiar with one another as all but seven of them currently feature in MLS.

For Jamaica, their golden generation is nearing its end, and their lack of cohesion could cost them this weekend against a side with a ton of attacking quality.

Previews by email

Top News

13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Sporting Kansas City will be looking to snap their run of five defeats from their opening five games when they play host to Minnesota United at Children's Mercy Park on Sunday morning. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Everton welcome West Ham United to Goodison Park for a bottom-half Premier League contest on Saturday afternoon. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Brentford boss Thomas Frank has revealed that Fabio Carvalho faces an uphill battle to play again this season. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has named Ayden Heaven in his starting side for Thursday's Europa League last-16 second leg with Real Sociedad. 13 March 2025 talksport.com Mauricio Pochettino has told talkSPORT he dreams of returning to Tottenham one day. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea and Copenhagen have confirmed their starting lineups for Thursday's Conference League fixture at Stamford Bridge. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany believes Pep Guardiola's side will need to score at least two goals if they wish to beat Brighton & Hove Albion in Saturday's Premier League contest at the Etihad Stadium. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Santos president Marcelo Teixeira is hopeful that the club will be able to sign Neymar to a fresh contract. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Erling Haaland will attempt to set a fresh Premier League record when Manchester City welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Former Premier League striker Jermain Defoe has exclusively told Sports Mole he does not believe that Darwin Nunez can rescue his career at Liverpool. 13 March 2025 talksport.com Real Sociedad midfielder Arsen Zakharyan is reportedly unavailable for their second leg clash Manchester United due to visa issues. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly reignited their interest in Lille forward Jonathan David. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have confirmed that Ferland Mendy is facing a spell on the sidelines with the muscular problem that he picked up during Wednesday's Champions League last-16 second leg against Atletico Madrid. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk West Ham United could be without up to four players for Saturday's Premier League clash with Everton at Goodison Park. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Everton are set to be without five players for Saturday's Premier League clash with West Ham United at Goodison Park. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk UEFA have revealed that they will "enter discussions" with FIFA and IFAB over a potential rule change following Julian Alvarez's controversial spot-kick in Wednesday's Champions League clash between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Everton manager David Moyes will renew acquaintances with one of his former clubs West Ham United when they do battle at Goodison Park in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Brighton & Hove Albion could be without up to seven players for Saturday's Premier League clash with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City will be without at least four players for Saturday's Premier League clash Brighton & Hove Albion at the Etihad Stadium. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Valencia's battle to stay out of the La Liga relegation zone will continue on Saturday night, when they head to Estadi Montilivi to tackle a Girona outfit that are without a victory since the start of February. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk William Saliba has reportedly told Arsenal in 'private' that he has no plans to leave the club despite being linked with European champions Real Madrid. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City will endeavour to climb back into the top four of the Premier League table when they welcome high-flying Brighton & Hove Albion to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal winger Raheem Sterling will be suspended for next month's Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk European-chasing Mallorca will be bidding to return to winning ways in Spain's top flight when they continue their campaign with a home fixture against relegation-threatened Espanyol on Saturday afternoon. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Having avoided a calamitous defeat last week, AC Milan will host Como on Saturday evening, when the regional rivals meet at San Siro. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Nottingham Forest fulcrum Morgan Gibbs-White can inch closer to a slice of club history when the Tricky Trees travel to Portman Road to face Ipswich Town in Saturday's Premier League clash. 13 March 2025 talksport.com The Europa League and Europa Conference League round of 16 ties will come to an end this evening. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Ipswich Town centre-forward Liam Delap will have to tread carefully in Saturday's Premier League showdown with Nottingham Forest at Portman Road. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann has named his 23-man squad for this month's UEFA Nations League quarter-final tie against Italy. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Reuniting just a couple of weeks on from a dramatic FA Cup affair, Ipswich Town and Nottingham Forest are back in Premier League action at Portman Road on Saturday afternoon.