USMNT vs. Jamaica
2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifying – Final Round - Match No. 4
Oct. 7, 2021
Q2 Stadium; Austin, Texas
Pre-Game Coverage: 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+; 7 p.m. ET on Univision, TUDN
Kickoff: 7:45 p.m. ET on ESPN2, ESPN+, Univision, TUDN
Social Media: @USMNT on Twitter and Instagram; U.S. Soccer on Facebook , The U.S. Soccer App
Tonight’s USMNT Starting XI vs. Jamaica: 1-Matt Turner, 2-Sergiño Dest, 3-Walker Zimmerman, 4-Tyler Adams (capt.), 5-Antonee Robinson, 6-Yunus Musah, 7-Paul Arriola, 8-Weston McKennie, 11-Brenden Aaronson, 12-Miles Robinson, 16-Ricardo Pepi
Substitutes: 13-Zack Steffen, 9-Gyasi Zardes, 10-Cristian Roldan, 14-Luca de la Torre, 15-Chris Richards, 17-Sebastian Lletget, 18-Mark McKenzie, 19-Matthew Hoppe, 20-Tim Weah, 21-George Bello, 22-Shaq Moore, 23-Kellyn Acosta
USMNT Starting XI Cap Numbers (including this match): Paul Arriola (40), Weston McKennie (26), Tyler Adams (18), Walker Zimmerman (18), Antonee Robinson (16), Sergiño Dest (14), Miles Robinson (13), Brenden Aaronson (11), Matt Turner (11), Yunus Musah (7), Ricardo Pepi (2)
USMNT Starting XI WCQ Cap Numbers (including this match): Paul Arriola (8), Brenden Aaronson (4), Tyler Adams (4), Antonee Robinson (4), Miles Robinson (4), Matt Turner, (4), Sergiño Dest (3), Weston McKennie (2), Ricardo Pepi (2), Yunus Musah (1), Walker Zimmerman (1)
With an average age of 23 years, 111 days, tonight’s Starting XI is the second youngest fielded by the USMNT in World Cup Qualifying history after the lineup that began last month’s match at Honduras, a 4-1 win on Sept. 8, 2021 in San Pedro Sula.
Eight players are age 24 and younger: Antonee Robinson and Miles Robinson (24); Weston McKennie (23), Tyler Adams (22); Brenden Aaronson and Sergiño Dest (20); Yunus Musah and Ricardo Pepi (18)
The lineup averages 15 caps and seven in official competition.
Tyler Adams, Miles Robinson, Matt Turner and Ricardo Pepi are the four starters that carry over from the Honduras match. Brenden Aaronson and Antonee Robinson also came off the bench and each scored a goal in the 4-1 win.
Defender Walker Zimmerman and midfielder Yunus Musah will make their World Cup Qualifying debuts tonight, taking the team’s total number of qualifying debuts in this cycle to 18 through four matches. That figure ties the total number of first qualifying caps earned throughout the 16 matches in 2018 World Cup Qualifying.
Zimmerman last appeared in the 1-0 win against Canada in the Gold Cup group stage finale on July 18, while Musah last featured in the 4-0 friendly win against Costa Rica on June 9.
With the selections of Yunus Musah and Ricardo Pepi, Gregg Berhalter will start two 18-year-olds in a World Cup Qualifier for the first time in USMNT history.
Tyler Adams will captain the USMNT for the third time tonight. The RB Leipzig midfielder wore the armband in the 4-0 friendly win against Costa Rica on June 9 and the 0-0 draw with El Salvador to open World Cup Qualifying on Sept. 2.
After missing out on the September qualifiers through injury, Paul Arriola makes his first USMNT appearance since captaining the team in the Gold Cup Final on Aug. 1 in Las Vegas.
Tyler Adams, Miles Robinson and Matt Turner are the only three players to feature throughout every minute of World Cup Qualifying thus far.
Both Robinson and Turner start their 10th consecutive matches, with their streak dating back to the Gold Cup opener against Haiti on July 11 in Kansas City. The USMNT has gone 7-0-2 and conceded just three goals in that time.
With five goals and three assists, 20-year-old Brenden Aaronson’s 8 G+A figure is the second-most by a USMNT player through 10 appearances after only Eddie Johnson (9; 8+1) and Peter Millar (9; 9+0).
With goals against both Canada and Honduras last month, should Aaronson score tonight he would become the eighth player to record goals in three consecutive World Cup Qualifiers, and just the third to do it in three-straight final round matches after Brian McBride (2005) and Jozy Altidore (2013).
Aaronson is one of three starters to have previously scored against Jamaica. Both he and Sergiño Dest tallied in the 4-1 friendly win on March 25, 2021 in Wiener Neustadt, Austria. Weston McKennie also tallied the opener in the 3-1 win in the Gold Cup Semifinal on July 3, 2019 in Nashville.
Substitute forward Matthew Hoppe scored his first international goal against Jamaica to give the USA the 1-0 win in the Gold Cup quarterfinal on July 25 in Arlington, Texas.
Zimmerman’s first international appearance came against Jamaica, a 1-0 win on Feb. 3, 2017, in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Should he come off the bench tonight, midfielder Kellyn Acosta would appear in his 18th straight USMNT match. His current 17-game streak is the most since Landon Donovan appeared in 31 consecutive matches from 2001-2003.
Starters Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie come into tonight’s match on caution watch. If either player is shown a yellow card against Jamaica, they will be suspended for the USA’s next qualifying match at Panama on Sunday.
Seven substitutes could also make their World Cup Qualifying debuts tonight: Matthew Hoppe, Luca de la Torre, Shaq Moore Chris Richards, Zack Steffen and Tim Weah
Goalkeeper Sean Johnson, defender DeAndre Yedlin and midfielder Gianluca Busio are the three rostered players that are not in uniform tonight.
Teams may dress up to 23 players and are allowed a total of five substitutions in three different moments throughout the match.
Reon Radix of Grenada is the referee for tonight’s match. While he has never served as a center official for a USMNT match, he was the fourth official for the 1-1 draw against Canada on Sept. 5 in Nashville and the 1-0 win against Honduras in the Concacaf Nations League Semifinal on June 3 in Denver.
Tonight’s match is being played on the 20th anniversary of the USA’s 2-1 win against Jamaica in 2001. The first match by any National Team following the September 11 attacks, the victory combined with other results saw the USMNT qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
The USMNT has won each of its last three meetings with Jamaica, two of which have come this calendar year. The USA earned a 4-1 win against The Reggae Boyz in a friendly on March 25 in Wiener Neustadt, Austria before taking a 1-0 victory in the Gold Cup quarterfinal on July 25 in Arlington, Texas.
The USMNT is 18-3-8 all-time against Jamaica and 5-1-6 in World Cup Qualifying. The USA is 4-0-2 against the Reggae Boyz in home World Cup qualifiers.