It wasn’t pretty. It never was going to be. Given the field conditions, the location, the stakes, this was always going to be a classic grind-it-out scenario. First legs of quarterfinals always are but, hey, first legs are also about results, right?
The U.S. men’s national team got their result they needed on Thursday night in Kingston. An early goal from Ricardo Pepi was ultimately enough to escape with a 1-0 win over Jamaica in a feisty first leg of the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals. Barely enough, mind you, but enough.
Pepi’s goal came just 5 minutes into the match, allowing the USMNT to breathe just a little bit. Played in by Christian Pulsiic, Pepi made no mistake, offering more evidence to show that he should be starting more for club and country.
“The team showed out, we’re here to fight,” Pepi said. “We knew it was going to be difficult but at the end of the day, we got the result and now it is time to take care of it at home.”
Breathing room or not, the U.S. was never in position to cruise, as Jamaica had their moments.
The biggest came in the first half, in the 14th minute, when the U.S. defense collapsed to concede a poor penalty. USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner was called for the penalty on Shamar Nicholson in the box, but then got instant redemption, stepping up and parrying away Demarai Gray’s shot to keep the Reggae Boyz off the board. It was one of just two saves for Turner, who also brushed away an Olimpico in the second half. Both of those saves were huge, to put it lightly.
Those saves protected the USMNT lead, allowing them to head back to St. Louis for leg two on Monday night with a one-goal lead over Jamaica. Heading home with that advantage is huge, and anyone who follows CONCACAF knows just how hard it is to get results like this consistently away from home.
The job is done – well, at least the first half of it. The U.S. will need a draw or win on Monday to move on to the semifinals. This wasn’t pretty but that’ll be just fine for USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino, who has his team one step closer to where they need to be.
GOAL rates the USMNT players from the National Stadium.