Pre-match: United States v Jamaica Gold Cup Final 7/26

Congrats Reggae Boys. Looking for a good game against an athletic, fast team. Will present some problems.

 

Well deserved by Jamaica. They outplayed Mexico in the second half. We definitely shouldn't take them lightly. They've got a lot of their A-team, play organized tough D and have speed on the counter.

Glad for a chance to get some revenge for last Gold Cup.

 

----------Altidore---Dempsey----------
Nagbe---Bradley---Acosta---Arriola
Villafana--Besler--Gonzalez--Zusi
------------------Howard------------------

Dempsey starts and Morris switches to the supersub role. The only other likely personnel switch IMO is Zardes for either Arriola or Acosta (Acosta only if Bruce Arena wants to risk a Bradley-Nagbe pairing).

 

Mattocks is going to run right at a Omar Zusi combo, and probably right by them. Not that there is a better solution.

 

We now need speed on the flanks. Arena's going to have to think hard about who he plays there. I know folks hate him, but it likely means Zardes gets the start.

Also not sure about Acosta now. I see the Jamaicans straight up running him over.

Nagbe a must with his ability to keep possession. Jamaica turned the ball over a ton, should be good for him in midfield.

 

Altidore-Dempsey
Zardes-Nagbe-Bradley-Morris
Morrow-Besler-Gonzalez-Lichaj
Howard

 

Congrats @Athlone. Now, please tell us the best way to beat you guys

 

This. Speed scares me to death right now.

 

Count me as disappointed we won't get a chance to rack up a W against Mexico. But I'll still be there Wednesday dead center to celebrate the likely championship.

 

Field a team better than Mexico B side.

 

I wouldn't be surprised at all. I think rotation will be less than it was the last few games, but Zardes would make sense as he should be fresh given he only played 7 minutes on Wednesday.

I'd also like more speed in the back...but I doubt we see Lichaj and Miazga over Zusi and Gonzalez. Those two have more experience and Arena's trust.

I'd also like to see Nagbe as well, though I don't think I'd like to see him alone in CM with Bradley. I think that would leave us too exposed on the counter.

 

Lichaj for Zusi please

 

If speed is the priority, Zusi has none of it.

 

Flashback to 2015:



There was some bad luck for the US - Jamaica was lethal on the few great chances that it created, and the US had opportunity after opportunity in the first two-thirds of the match. But my iconic memory of the match is the last 15-20 minutes. Jamaica defended stoutly, but after some inept substitutions the US resorted to playing route one (against Jamaica!), and the US fizzled embarrassingly in the final minutes.

 

I had to laugh:

Brian Straus‏Verified account @BrianStraus 3m3 minutes ago
Heading into final, golden boot leaders are a 16-year-old and a guy whose country of 390K ppl isn't a FIFA member. 1 goal back - Omar G.

 

Gonzo would be helpful since Jamaicans are not very skilled but very physical.

 

Please, Bruce, a whole new central midfield.

Dax was such a relief to watch in his ten minutes against Costa Rica.

Dax, Zardes, Bradley + V/fana and Zusi at wb.

+ 3 cb's so Gonzo or Hedgtes or Miazga, as the case may be, can get into the box for aerials and still have 2 cb's back.

 

Well holy shite. Got up Greenwich mean time to find this thread started instead of the one I expected. I'd have rather played Mexico, whether their A-team, B-team, or Omega-team, just for the chance to write another chapter in that rivalry. But it sounds like Jamaica were deserving winners, so bring 'em on. This gives us the chance to get some revenge for what was after all the worst loss (IMO) in Gold Cup history for the MNT.

I don't know much about Jamaica but by all accounts speed is one of their best assets, and I share the concern that we may struggle to deal with it. I've got enough faith in Arena that I'm sure he'll come up with a plausible plan to counter their advantage in terms of speed. Whether we'll execute well enough to win remains to be seen, but I'm cautiously optimistic. I also think Arena, unlike say Klinsy, will take the Reggae Boyz seriously and have a thoughtful plan to deal with them.

Finally, for all this talk of speed, all Jamaica's goals in the 2015 and 2017 GC semis came from set pieces, including two direct from free kicks. In fact, I recollect that at least one and maybe both of their goals against us in the 2-1 loss in Kingston in 2012 came from FKs as well. Seems that's an under appreciated part of their game.

 

Roldan would have been a great option against a team like Jamaica.

 

Eh I don't really know. Cant believe I'm saying that, but there's no easy answer. The defense is just rock solid, and Blake bails this team out constantly. We shut down Mexico without anything in the midfield today (the starter in the center, Kevon Lambert, was out on card suspension). The scary thing is we'd have been far more solid if he'd been there, and he'll be there Wednesday.

I watched what the USMNT did to Costa Rica yesterday and that scared me a bit, but I get the feeling that Jamaica will be harder to break down than Costa Rica. The USMNT will also have a much tougher time dealing with Williams and Mattocks - they are fast as hell and they work VERY hard.

If the USMNT plays up to its full potential, it'll be 1-0 for them. The USMNT attackers are the most talented I've seen in this tournament. But it can just as easily go the other way and/or end on penalties. This Jamaica team is just that frustrating.

We'll just have to wait and see.

 

What do you think of Barnes not being there?

 

Yes