This isn’t the Super Bowl but expect a jam-packed Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara this Wednesday as USA get their shot at another CONCACAF Gold Cup title as they lock horns with Jamaica. The Americans went undefeated on their way to the championship game, which includes a dominant 2-0 takedown of Costa Rica in the semifinals.
The quest to win the country’s sixth Gold Cup this Wednesday largely depends on how well their defense would hold up as well as how they’d be able to dominate the possession battle. Tim Howard appears ready for the title showdown with a fantastic performance between the sticks against Costa Rica when he made a crucial save on the 37th minute and another one during a penalty shootout with only 19 minutes left on the clock.
Team manager Bruce Arena might not mess with the lineup so expect semifinals hero Clint Dempsey to come off the bench. That being said, it’s hard not to start Dempsey, considering his outstanding performance against Costa Rica in which he recorded an assist and a goal.
In a perfect world, it would be USA vs. Mexico in the final. That’s not going to be the case this Wednesday because Mexico were not perfect in the semis, where they got ambushed by the Reggae Boyz, who punched their tickets to the finals with a 1-0 win.
As underdogs once again, Jamaica could get some success in the game by recognizing and capitalizing on USA’s confidence. Jamaica are not ones to wither beneath the bright lights of a championship game. After all, they’ve been here as recently as 2015, when they bowed to El Tri to the tune of a 3-1 score. Also take note that Jamaica beat USA in last year’s semifinals to get into the last hurdle.
Leading the Jamaicans’ charge is the pair of Darren Mattock and Romario Williams, who each has two goals.
Defensively, Jamaica will have their hands full against a USA squad that has nine different players finding the back of the net at the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Jamaica, however, have held the Mexicans scoreless twice in the tournament.
