PREVIEW: USMNT Takes on Jamaica in Concacaf Nations League Semifinals
Paramount+ and Univision Provide Broadcast Coverage as USMNT Look to Reach Third-Straight Tournament Final at 7 P.M. ET
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DALLAS (Mar. 20, 2024) — The United States Men’s National Team continues its quest to win a third-straight Concacaf Nations League title when the team takes on Jamaica in a semifinal matchup at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET, with broadcast coverage available on Paramount+ and Univision.
Alongside broadcast coverage, fans will also be able to follow the match via Facebook, Twitter @USMNT, Instagram @USMNT and the official U.S. Soccer App.
In Thursday’s other semifinal match in Texas, Mexico will square off with Panama. The winners will meet in the CNL Final on Sunday, March 24 at 9:15 p.m. ET, with the Third Place Match taking place just prior. Both matches will be shown live on Paramount+ and Univision.
DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (Club/Country; Caps/Goals)
GOALKEEPERS (3): 22-Drake Callender (Inter Miami; 0/0), 18-Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City/WAL; 9/0), 1-Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 37/0)
DEFENDERS (8): 2-Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 32/2), 23-Kristoffer Lund (Palermo/ITA; 3/0), 16-Mark McKenzie (Genk/BEL; 13/0), 13-Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 55/1), 3-Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 14/1), 5-Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 39/4), 12-Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 28/3), 19-Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 8/0)
MIDFIELDERS (5): 4-Tyler Adams (Bournemouth/ENG; 36/1), 15-Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis/ESP; 9/0), 8-Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 49/11), 6-Yunus Musah (AC Milan/ITA; 33/0), 7-Gio Reyna (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 24/7)
FORWARDS (7): 11-Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin/GER; 38/8), 20-Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 8/3), 17-Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 8/0), 9-Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 22/10), 10-Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 64/28), 21-Tim Weah (Juventus/ITA; 35/5), 14-Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG; 7/2)
HOW THEY GOT HERE
The USMNT booked its ticket to Saturday’s CNL semifinal on the strength of a 4-2 aggregate victory over Trinidad and Tobago last November.
In the home leg on Nov. 16, Ricardo Pepi, Antonee Robinson and Gio Reyna provided the firepower with goals in the 82nd, 86th, and 89th minutes respectively to give the team a crucial 3-0 win at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Tx. Four days later at Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad, Robinson once again found the scoresheet to help the U.S. advance despite Trinidad finding the back of the net on either side of halftime.
Jamaica suffered defeat in the first leg of their quarterfinal series against Canada on Nov. 18 at Independence Park in Kingston, Jamaica. Shamar Nicholson negated Jonathan David’s first half goal with a 56th minute tally of his own, but Canada’s Stephen Eustaquio found a late game-winner in the 86th minute.
The Reggae Boyz battled back in leg two in Toronto on Nov. 21, as a three-minute brace from Nicholson (63’, 66’) and a 78th minute penalty kick conversion from Bobby Decordova-Reid helped sink Canada 3-2 and advance on away goals after a 4-4 aggregate.
OPPORTUNITY FOR A THIRD
The USMNT is currently the only team to have lifted the CNL championship, having captured the title in the first two editions of the competition.
In 2023, Christian Pulisic’s brace and Ricardo Pepi’s goal off the bench helped the USA to a 3-0 win against Mexico in the CNL Semifinal, before Chris Richards and Folarin Balogun each scored their first international goals off Gio Reyna assists to give the USA a 2-0 win against Canada in the Final. Goalkeeper Matt Turner kept back-to-back clean sheets in the two matches.
In the inaugural championship match in 2021 against Mexico, following dramatic goals from Gio Reyna, Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic, substitute goalkeeper Ethan Horvath made the extra time penalty stop on Andres Guardado to ensure the USA’s 3-2 win.
VS. JAMAICA
The USA and Jamaica have met 32 times in their history dating back to 1988. While the U.S. holds a lifetime advantage of 19-3-10, seven of the last 10 matches have been decided by a goal or less. The teams are no strangers to meeting in official competition, having squared off 22 times in various tournaments including four in the last three years.
Since dropping a 2-1 friendly decision in Washington, D.C. on June 5, 2019, the USA has a six-game unbeaten streak (5-0-1) vs. Jamaica.
The teams most recently met in a 1-1 group-stage draw at the 2023 Gold Cup in Chicago on June 24, 2023. Damion Lowe gave Jamaica the lead, while USMNT forward Brandon Vazquez equalized in the 88th minute.
ROSTER UPDATES
Two players were replaced on the roster after it was originally announced on March 13. Forwards Brenden Aaronson and Haji Wright were added to replace the injured Luca de la Torre (right quadriceps strain) and Josh Sargent (right ankle irritation).
Aaronson has earned 38 caps for the USMNT and has scored eight goals with six assists in his international career. The 23-year-old has seven appearances and one goal in CNL action, having started in the 2-0 win against Canada in the championship final of the 2023 edition.
Wright, 25, earned all seven of his senior team caps in 2022, culminating in appearances in all four of the USA’s matches in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He scored the USA’s lone goal in the 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands in the Round of 16.
AT AT&T STADIUM
The USMNT has fared well historically in tournament competition held at AT&T Stadium, as the venue has hosted a trio of U.S. victories in Concacaf Gold Cup play – all of which were en route to tournament titles.
Coincidentally, the most recent U.S. match held at AT&T Stadium was a Gold Cup knockout-round match against Jamaica in 2021. Matthew Hoppe’s 83rd minute header proved decisive in 1-0 shutout win played on July 25 of that year.
In 2017, it was Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey providing second half goals to defeat Costa Rica 2-0 in a 2017 Gold Cup Semifinal, and - prior to that – Landon Donovan’s pair of goals and assist led the U.S. to a 3-1 semifinal victory over Honduras in the 2013 semifinals.
ABOUT THE CONCACAF NATIONS LEAGUE
Created to maximize the quality, quantity and frequency of competitive matches for all of Concacaf’s 41 Member Associations, the 2023-24 Concacaf Nations League, which commenced last September, has a revamped format to include more direct elimination matches that will qualify teams to continental summer competitions.
The 2023-24 CNL continues to be played in a three-League format (A, B, and C), with the region’s 41 men’s senior national teams distributed into the Leagues according to the results of the 2022-23 CNL.
The USA competed in League A, which was expanded to include 16 teams (up from 12) and a new quarterfinal round has been created to deliver more direct elimination matches.
ROSTER NOTES
- The 23 players represent clubs in nine different countries: England (7), Italy (5), Netherlands (3), Germany (2), USA (2), Belgium (1), France (1), Spain (1), Wales (1).
- Christian Pulisic (64) is the leading cap-winner, followed by Tim Ream (55), Weston McKennie (49), Antonee Robinson (39), Matt Turner (37), Tyler Adams (36), and Tim Weah (35).
- Midfielder Tyler Adams and forward Haji Wright make their first USMNT camp appearances since the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
- In total, 20 of the 23 players have been part of one of the Nations League-winning squads, with eight taking part in both championship runs in 2021 and 2023: Brenden Aaronson, Sergiño Dest, Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Gio Reyna, Antonee Robinson, Tim Weah.
- Other 2021 CNL winners: Tyler Adams, Ethan Horvath, Mark McKenzie, Tim Ream and Josh Sargent.
- Other 2023 CNL winners: Folarin Balogun, Drake Callender, Johnny Cardoso, Ricardo Pepi, Chris Richards, Miles Robinson, Joe Scally, and Matt Turner.
- Hailing from Little Elm, Texas, Weston McKennie will earn his 50th cap with his next appearance and is in line to do so in his first competitive match in the Dallas area.
- McKennie, who leads all USMNT players with 12 caps and six goals in CNL play, is one of three FC Dallas products on the roster, joined by Ricardo Pepi and Chris Richards.
- Players on the roster have contributed eight of the team’s nine goals in previous CNL Finals tournaments: Christian Pulisic (3), Folarin Balogun, Weston McKennie, Ricardo Pepi, Gio Reyna, and Chris Richards (1 each).
- In the 2021 Final vs. Mexico, following dramatic goals from Gio Reyna, Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic, substitute goalkeeper Ethan Horvath made the extra time penalty stop on Andres Guardado to ensure the USA’s 3-2 win in the inaugural championship match.
- In 2023, Christian Pulisic’s brace and Ricardo Pepi’s goal off the bench helped the USA to a 3-0 win against Mexico in the CNL Semifinal, before Chris Richards and Folarin Balogun each scored their first international goals off Gio Reyna assists to give the USA a 2-0 win against Canada in the Final. Goalkeeper Matt Turner kept back-to-back clean sheets in the two matches.
- Six players have previously scored against Jamaica: Brendan Aaronson (March 25, 2021), Ricardo Pepi (2 goals on Oct. 7, 2021), Christian Pulisic (2 goals on July 3, 2019), Sergiño Dest (March 25, 2021), Weston McKennie (July 3, 2019), Tim Weah (Nov. 16, 2021).
- Forward Ricardo Pepi has scored seven goals in his last 10 USMNT caps, all coming with him in a substitute role.
- Fourteen players have previous appearances against Jamaica, with defender Antonee Robinson leading the way with four career caps against the Reggae Boyz.
- Goalkeeper Matt Turner and defender Miles Robinson are the only two players on the roster to previously appear for the USMNT at AT&T Stadium, with the pair contributing to the team’s 1-0 shutout win against Jamaica in the Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinal on July 25, 2021.
- Defender Sergiño Dest is suspended for the semifinal against Jamaica after receiving a red card in the USA’s last CNL contest at Trinidad and Tobago on Nov. 20, 2023.
- Capped three times, defender Kristoffer Lund joins uncapped goalkeeper Drake Callender as the two players seeking their first appearances in official competition.
- Thirteen players are products of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, with nine players coming from MLS Academies: Tyler Adams (New York Red Bulls), Drake Callender (San Jose Earthquakes), Ethan Horvath (Real Colorado), Weston McKennie (FC Dallas), Mark McKenzie (Philadelphia Union), Ricardo Pepi (FC Dallas), Christian Pulisic (PA Classics), Gio Reyna (New York City FC), Chris Richards (FC Dallas, Texas SC Houston), Miles Robinson (FC Boston Bolts), Joe Scally (New York City FC), and Tim Weah (New York Red Bulls, BW Gotteschee).
JAMAICA OF LATE
Jamaica has played two matches so far in 2024 – a pair of friendlies in Trinidad & Tobago. Jamaica recorded a 1-0 win in San Fernando on March 1, as Kaheim Dixon scored in the 58th minute. Two days later, the two Caribbean counterparts played to a scoreless draw in Arima.
AT THE HELM
Jamaica is led by manager Heimir Hallgrimsson, who replaced Paul Hall as head coach on Sept. 22, 2022. A former defender with several Icelandic clubs, the 56-year-old Hallgrímsson previously managed Iceland at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
He assisted on the Iceland men's national team staff from 2011-13 before becoming co-coach of the squad along with Lars Lagerback from 2013-16. Hallgrimsson then took the reins as manager in 2016, guiding Iceland to its first FIFA World Cup.
After departing Iceland, Hallgrimsson coached Al-Arabi in Qatar from 2018-21. Since taking over in Jamaica, he has guided the Reggae Boyz to a 7-6-7 record.
JAMAICA ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB)
GOALKEEPERS (3): Andre Blake (Philadelphia Union/USA; 70/0, Jahmali Waite (El Paso Locomotive FC/USA; 8/0; Shaquan Davis (Mount Pleasant; 1/0)
DEFENDERS (7): Damion Lowe (Philadelphia Union/USA; 58/3), Michael Hector (Charlton Athletic/ENG; 36/0), Richard King (IBV/ISL; 14/0), Dexter Lembikisa (Heart of Midlothian/SCO: 14/0); Greg Leigh (Oxford United/ENG; 12/0), Di'Shon Bernard (Sheffield Wednesday/ENG; 11/1), Tayvon Gray (New York City FC/USA; 3/0)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Bobby Decordova-Reid (Fulham/ENG; 27/8), Daniel Johnson (Stoke City/ENG; 23/3), Joel Latibeaudiere (Coventry City/ENG; 12/0), Kasey Palmer (Coventry City/ENG; 3/0), Karoy Anderson (Charlton Athletic/ENG; 2/0), Renaldo Cephas (Ankaragucu/TUR; 1/0)
FORWARDS (7): Shamar Nicholson (Clermont/FRA; 44/16), Cory Burke (New York Red Bulls/USA; 31/7), Michail Antonio (West Ham United/ENG; 14/3), Demarai Gray (Al-Ettifaq/KSA; 10/5); Jamal Lowe (Swansea City/ENG; 6/2), Bailey Cadamarteri (Sheffield Wednesday/ENG; 0-0/), Kaheim Dixon (Arnett Gardens; 0/0)
ROSTER NOTES
- Two Jamaican goal scorers - forwards Shamar Nicholson and Demarai Gray – will not be available for Saturday’s semifinal due to suspension.
- Jamaica will also be without defender Ethan Pinnock, who suffered an ankle injury during club duty at Brentford FC.
- Five players on the Jamaica roster ply their trade in the United States on the club level, including four in Major League Soccer. Those players include three-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Andre Blake and defender Damion Lowe of the Philadelphia Union, New York City FC defender Tavyon Gray, and New York Red Bulls forward Cory Burke. Goalkeeper Jahmali Waite represents El Paso Locomotive FC (USL Championship).
- Midfielder Bobby Decordova-Reid is a teammate of USMNT defenders Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson at Fulham of the English Premier League.
- Blake, the team captain, has a team-high 70 caps.
- Forward Jamal Lowe has the most national team appearances (58) of any Jamaican field player. Burke is second behind Nicholson with seven goals in 31 games.
- Nicholson leads the roster with 16 goals in 44 appearances, followed by Burke with seven in 31.