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USA reaches semifinals with convincing 2-0 victory over Jamaica

USA Jamaica 1 (Getty Images)

 

By FRANCO PANIZO

WASHINGTON D.C. – The U.S. men's national team started its quarterfinal match against Jamaica without Landon Donovan, but that didn't seem to matter as the Americans put forth their most complete performance of the Gold Cup with a 2-0 win.

Second half goals from Jermaine Jones and Clint Dempsey proved to be the difference in a game that the U.S. team controlled from the opening whistle. Jones scored his first goal for the United States four minutes after halftime, and Dempsey scored his second of the tournament in the 80th minute to eliminate Jamaica and give the Americans a place in the semifinals.

"I thought we were able from the start to do a good job of establishing control, passing the ball, keeping the ball moving," said head coach Bob Bradley. "Ultimately it took a while to get the goal and the second goal, but as far as establishing our game today I thought we did an excellent job."

Jamaica played part of the second half with 10 men after Jermaine Taylor received a red card for a foul on Jones, who appeared to be clear on goal in the 67th minute.

Taylor's expulsion, combined with Jamaica scrambling to find an equalizer, opened the game up for the Americans, who began the game well by applying pressure through the wings in a 4-2-3-1 formation and without Donovan.

"When you make decisions on a lineup you size up all sorts of things," said Bradley of Donovan, who entered the game in the 65th minute. "It's been a busy stretch for Landon and we felt with an afternoon game (it) made sense to use him as a reserve today and we could bring him on and he would give us a lot."

The match may have started out well for the U.S. team, but things took a turn for the worse when Jozy Altidore went down with an injury just 12 minutes into the match. That forced Bradley to make an early substitution, with Juan Agudelo replacing Altidore in the lone forward role.

The early change didn't seem to affect the Americans, who continued to threaten Jamaica's back-line. The U.S. team had multiple opportunities in the first half, but Donovan Ricketts denied Dempsey and Sacha Kljestan. Ricketts' saves were a big factor in keeping the Reggae Boyz in the game in the first half.

The United States was able to break the deadlock shortly after halftime when Jones pounced on a headed clearance and blasted it towards goal. The shot deflected off of Taylor and made its way into the back of the net to give the U.S. team a 1-0 lead.

"The first time you score with the national team is always special," said Jones through Steve Cherundolo, who translated from German to English. "Most of all it was a very important goal for us tonight."

The Americans added a second 31 minutes later as Agudelo received a ball on the flank and then played it across the penalty area to Dempsey, who rounded Ricketts before slotting his shot home.

"I was disappointed with my performance against Guadeloupe. I wasn't able to finish some chances that I got and I wanted to make sure that I came out today and do whatever I could to help the team win," said Dempsey. "I was able to get the goal that sealed it."

The United States will face either Panama or El Salvador in the semifinals in Houston, Texas on June 22. Panama and El Salvador square off on Sunday evening in the fourth and final quarterfinals match.

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What do you think of the U.S. team's victory? Who was your man of the match? Starting to believe the Americans can win the Gold Cup again?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Jones played great but for the silly yellow card. he has to know they bait him, and so not bite. He’s key to what we’re seeing happen, so they bait him because, as demonstrated vs. Jamaica, he bites.

    can’t do that the rest of the way, too much at stake.

    The answer is superior playmaking on the field baby!!! stick them with that reply and then thank them for the motivation when it’s all over!

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  2. the El Salvador fans bring it. Rio Tinto for the qualifier in the parking lot was awesome with all of them. their crowd around the team’s departing bus was big and supportive, even after defeat. my desktop pic is with my boy and a friend and a family of El Salvadoran fans from that game 🙂

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  3. Anyone else feeling nervous about Jones receiving a yellow vs. Jamaica?

    He is obviously the most physical guy out there and the Panama game is going to be a fight. He is not the most disciplined guy we have – picks up a yellow and he is out of the final. NOT GOOD. One game at a time, I know….I am just a jaded fan at this point and know we always have some kind of hurdle to overcome 🙂

    I would not be worried if Bradley was the one that picked it up. He has grown up since his early, reckless years and improved his composure tremendously – afraid of dad’s belt!

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  4. I don’t know about anyone else but I am dying for an update on the status of Jozy. Say what you want about his past, I thought he was looking more and more aggresive and gaining confidence after each game. I know he left early but I thought he was showing those continued signs of being hungry for goal. I love Agudelo and really like how he fights to put himself in front of the defender for the ball and is creative but there is no matching Jozy’s size. Plus, Jozy has more experience in big games than Juan and I feel like has more to prove at this point. Very anxious for the news!

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  5. “. Sure, replay showed no contact, but that was because Jones was forced to alter his stride from a late reckless challenge, which then caused him to trip up. It was still the correct call.”

    Ridiculous. He kept his balance and then suddenly decided to take the most simulated of dives. That looked so awkward and fake. Watch the replay again.

    Not to mention the Jamaican player made minimal contact with Jones.

    Shameful dive.

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  6. liking Sacha…he’s changed, better, calmer, looks more self believing and confident. hope this upward arc continues for him because he’s needed and the opportunity is right there to pounce on. He and Alejandro stepped up big and surprised me with their effectiveness, and I loved it! Hope they are not satisfied but instead hungrier than ever, and Lichay too.

    loss of Jozy is big, come on. Takes nothing away from Juan, who stepped up when called like his other youngen brothers. if he and they, can back up that performance with another strong one vs. Panama, another big step we’ll have taken. Juan battles Baloy, and I’m looking forward to watching that one

    the depth of this team surprises me in a good way. good to see this team could play without Landon starting and contributing from jump, and I like this even more for Landon if he continues as the supersub, when the games have opened up and his legs are fresh…I really like this IF Bedoya and Klestjan keep it going; then it’s an excellent development for this team

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  7. Does anyone know why jozy doesn’t put his hand on his heart during the anthem? Isnt that an appropriate time to do that when representing the country?

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  8. at least now my USMNT fans cannot complain when latin american countries have divers on there team, they have one now. welcome to the club. when he was “just” clipped he should have fell not take an extra step and then fall…. in real time it looked like he clipped him. but he didnt.

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  9. My take – Jamaica looked tired even before they went down to 10 men. USA was the better conditioned team and the Boyz ran out of gas, and as stated earlier couldn’t figure out the formation change the Yanks threw at them.

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  10. Bradley Lovers = as annoying as Bradley Haters

    “We just beat Jamaica, what do you have to say now?” = “We just lost to Panama, fire him!”

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  11. Thanks for posting that clip. Clear contact, and b/c Jones is running at full speed, that contact can definitely trip you up. The ref got the call right; Wahl and others got it wrong.

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  12. MW, just because someone called you it, doesn’t make it racist. Get over yourself and stop being a baby. Not everyone is out to get you.

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  13. Not sure if the word is used as a slur, but it certainly originally had a racial meaning. It referred to a class of persons who were originally slaves.

    But Ray doesn’t seem to care whether it is a slur or not, as long as he can be offensive.

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  14. I know, just weed is the easiest drug for a government to control, that comes over the boarder.

    And thank you for the level headed response.

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  15. Thanks, I am in Turkey and I could not watch the game. Wondered about a dive with all the comments.

    Per usual the trolls here had fun with it and like nearly always they were wrong.

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  16. Bradley never shares his thoughts on his tactics before a game in any direct or detailed way. Unlike the commenters here and like nearly all class acts, he does not call out individual players for criticism or say negative things about them in public. What he says to them in private is a matter of speculation as is what he did or did not know before the astute Ives readers is only speculation on your part.

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  17. It’s meant different things in my neighborhood. My parents used it to mean being stupid, like you said. Other non-Italian kids used it to call us Italian kids lazy pieces of s**t. The Brazilian kids used it to call out kids of mixed heritage. You see how some of those meanings are less than nice?

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  18. It’s not racist yah mamaluke. It means moron. People are calling each other idiots and morons all the time on this website. I wasn’t even directing it at any one in particular. Chill out.

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  19. Wow. Your such a funny guy, what with the Johnson and Johnson reference. That must have taken you awhile to come up with, and I bet you thought you were all kinds of witty. Good for you!

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  20. And still you defend yourself by telling me to get a clue. I think that’s the other way around, pal.

    Let me repeat this for you again, because you don’t seem to understand that words have repercussions. The internet isn’t the end all be all of whether something is or isn’t acceptable. When you came upon resistance to something you said you can’t pass it off as other people’s problems, it’s YOUR responsibility to make amends. It’s not mine, nor anyone else who is offended by your ignorance, to lower our standards or expectations because you don’t understand the cultural context of words that are outside of your existence. And the analogy I used is appropriate, even if you don’t like it. There are derogatory terms for all races and ethnicities, and just because some are more widely publicized than others doesn’t make those others more acceptable.

    You could have easily stopped this thread if you would have just said “hey I’m sorry, I was wrong to use it and I’m sorry if it offended anyone.” That’s it. But no. You went and claimed that you looked it up online, and what you found said it was ok to use. So, as far as you were concerned, everyone else was to blame for jumping on you. Of course your not to blame, the internet is right about everything. And still you dismiss other people’s offense to a term as being “soft.” Way to be a stand up guy.

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  21. So you’re saying we need a lineup with out MB90 and Jones…Hmm.

    —Agudelo— (Jozy won’t be back…he just won’t.)
    Bedoya Deuce Donovan
    —Klejstan–Edu —
    Lichaj-Boca-CG-Dolo
    Timmay

    Bench (critical)
    MB<90, Adu, Gooch, Bornstink, Hahnemann, Wondoh!, Spector

    Makes me REALLY miss DeMerit, Stu, CD9, Chandler.

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  22. Saying mamaluke on the SBI message board is the same as calling a random black dude the N word. Get a clue pal. Had I known that using mamaluke would turn this thread into a catty sewing circle I would used something else. You people are soft.

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  23. Mamaluke is not a racist term in any way. It’s a corruption of a Sicilian word that loosely means moron. Find another reason to complain “John”.

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  24. Donovan is expected to be one of the best players on this team and a leader. His arriving at 7 a.m. from California on the day of the game, combined with his less than stellar performances at the group stage, cost him his starting spot in this game. Fans will not start lavishing praises on him for playing a role of a good sub, when he is expected to be a leader and carry the team.

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  25. If you think some Mexican fans are bad you should go watch the US at El Salvador, now that will be a field trip.

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  26. Altidore is a big loss. He scored two game winning goals in this tournament. Agudelo has a bright future, but he is yet to score in this tournament. Loss of Altidore will give Agudelo more minutes as the lead striker, but it will also put him under tremendous pressure to score. I hope he does well.

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  27. There was also a Negro Baseball League but just because someone used a term in an official capacity doesn’t make it ok and acceptable. And you certainly don’t get to tell me what and what not to be sensitive about, especially derogatory terms that you did not grow up hearing. And honestly the problem isn’t so much that he used the term, but instead tried to dismiss his use by saying that the internet told him it was ok. I’m sure I can find a website that says its fine to call your mother a dirty wh**e, but that doesn’t make it right. And if you called me out on it I would apologize instead of defending my ignorance. And just because someone’s intentions aren’t derogatory doesn’t absolve their actions. I take it you’ve never heard the phrase “the road to hell is paved with good intentions?”

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  28. I disagree re Sacha, I am not a fan of his, but he played well today. Did you miss his through ball to Donovan, which led to one on one and should have resulted in an easy score? And what was wrong with his shot in the first half that Ricketts barely saved?

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  29. You’re trying to compare what he said to using the n-word? God people, stop being so sensitive. The Mamalukes were also a pro-wrestling team. Apparently the word has many different meanings. Ray Tango already said he didn’t mean it to be derogatory. That should be the end of it. He doesn’t owe you mw or anybody an apology. Grow up people and stop being so whiny.

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