The United States is on its way to qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Sitting in first place (14 points) at half point of a 14-match schedule, and starting convincing victory at home against regional power Mexico, there’s little for US fans to not feel optimistic about as the team heads to Jamaica for the latest game.
But this could also prove the most nerve-wracking part of qualifying, because fans who went through the flops of 2018’s campaign realize – so does team USA head coach Gregg Berhalter – that there will be more to come. long time smooth on the rest of the way. Tuesday’s trip to face a desperate Jamaican side is just the kind of test they will need to survive to avoid complicating matters further in the final seven games.
Jamaica (sixth, six points) is seven points above the qualifying area and five points from the single wild card playoff spot. The Jamaicans will feel like they should have added three points after conceding costly goals against Mexico and El Salvador. But with five of their past seven games at home in Kingston, Reggae Boyz knows a spot at Qatar 2022 will lead to a win at the National Stadium.
DIRECT BLOG: Jamaica vs. USA – comments and updates
This is the fourth time these teams have met this year, with the US winning all three of their previous games: a 4-1 win in Austria, a 1-0 win in the Gold Cup quarterfinals (the team won in the 83rd minute) and Win the October qualifiers 2-0 in Austin, Texas, with a goal from teen Ricardo Pepi (below).
But the Jamaicans were left out in that final match. This time, their two biggest stars, Leon Bailey (Aston Villa) and Michail Antonio (West Ham) are expected to play. And their first qualifying match against the US will have an extremely special feeling: Reggae Boyz will play in front of fans for the first time on the 34th anniversary of their only World Cup appearance. with a score of 0- Draw 0 at home against Mexico in 1997.
How to watch Jamaica vs. the USA
- Day: Tuesday, November 16
- Time: 5 p.m. ET
- Channel: University
- Streaming online: fuboTV, Paramount +
Jamaica vs. USA will air on Universo (Spanish) and Paramount + (English) with the Universo feed available via live stream on fuboTV. New users can try fuboTV 7 days free trial.
5,000 fans are expected at Kingston’s National Stadium, about 15% capacity. This is still more than the Jamaicans have in the past two qualifying home matches, in which they failed to score a win.
Jamaica lineup vs. the USA
In a must-win home match, Bailey and Antonio will start. Coach Theodore Whitmore made two changes to his backline with Liam Moore replacing veteran centre-back Adrian Mariappa, and Javain Brown taking over at right-back for Oniel Fisher, who wasn’t even listed. on the bench.
Jamaica’s starting lineup (4-2-3-1, left to right): 1-Andre Blake-GK – 20-Kemar Lawrence, 17-Damion Lowe, 6-Liam Moore, 14-Javain Brown – 22-Devon “Speedy” Williams, 15-Je-Vaughn Watson – 21-Lamar Walker, 10-Bobby Reid, 7-Leon Bailey – 18-Michail Antonio
Jamaican Submarines (10): Dwayne Miller-GK, Jeadine White-GK, Alvas Powell, Greg Leigh, Adrian Mariappa, Anthony Grant, Ravel Morrison, Junior Flemmings, Cory Burke, Shamar Nicholson
Without Sergino Dest and injured Gio Reyna, Weston McKennie (yellow card) and Miles Robinson (red card) will be absent from the US team due to suspension, and both will leave significant holes. Gianluca Busio and Chris Richards were substitutes. Those were the only mandatory changes from the team that beat Mexico.
ADVICE: Moving through Mexico, USA is the top dog in CONCACAF
Christian Pulisic started off the bench with a three-man Aaronson-Pepi-Weah that worked very well against Mexico, having their second game in a row.
US starting lineup (4-3-3, left to right): 1-Zack Steffen-GK – 5-Antonee Robinson, 15-Chris Richards, 3-Walker Zimmerman, 2-DeAndre Yedlin – 16-Gianluca Busio, 4-Tyler Adams (captain), 6-Yunus Musah – 11-Brenden Aaronson , 9-Ricardo Pepi, 20-Tim Weah
United States Submarines (12): 13-Matt Turner-GK, 22-Reggie Cannon, 18-Mark McKenzie, 8-James Sands, 12-Joe Scally, 21-Sam Vines, 23-Kellyn Acosta, 17-Sebastian Lletget, 14-Cristian Roldan, 10-Christian Pulisic, 7-Paul Arriola, 19-Jesus Ferreira
Jamaica vs. USA: Odds & Predictions
Odds by DraftKings
America may be 19W-3L-8D every game against Jamaica, but only 1W-1L-4D every time in road World Cup qualifiers against Reggae Boyz, so it’s a historic ride that’s never easy easily regardless of the point gap between the two teams. in the ranking.
Another trend to watch out for: This U.S. youth team has shown themselves as the sharper laner so far in qualifying, and they’ve started slow in every three games and haven’t scored a single goal. in the first half of all three laners. hitherto. And it’s not just the Americans that didn’t score, it’s that they didn’t create many attacks in any given game. In the previous three games against Jamaica this year, the US scored a single goal in the first half and it was a friendly.
THAN: How the USA can qualify for the World Cup
With Jamaica likely to come out the door strong and emerge with the first taste of a crowd, America is likely to go backwards to begin with. It may take some time to adjust to the pitch, conditions, and dangers posed by Bailey and Antonio, who are facing the United States in qualifying for the first time. For all of those reasons, the most interesting matchup might be the USA being closed in the first half (-105).
Pick: America did not score in the first half (-105)
Guess: Jamaica 2, USA 2
- Cash flow: Jamaica +500 / Draw +275 / US -180
- Spread (Asia Handicap): Jamaica +0.5 (+135) / US -0.5 (-185)
- Total goals is O/U 2.5: Above +125 / Below -165
- Both teams scored: Yes +115 / No -155
