Final, 2-1 Jamaica: It’s all over at the Georgia Dome. Jamaica stuns the United States and advances to the Gold Cup final for the first time in its history.
David has slain Goliath in CONCACAF terms, as Jamaica celebrates its upset victory over Team USA in the semifinals. Mattocks and Barnes scored within five minutes of each other, sending Team USA into an insurmountable hole. Bradley halved the Reggae Boyz’ lead early in the second half, but Jamaica repelled every one of Team USA’s subsequent forward raids.
Jamaica’s victory and Team USA’s defeat both are historic events, and there will be plenty of fall-out, as the U.S. heads to the third-place game on Saturday while Jamaica prepares for a major-tournament final.
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USA-Jamaica analysis: Blame Klinsmann >>
90th minute +3, 2-1 Jamaica: Green replaces McCleary in Jamaica’s final substitution.
90th minute +1, 2-1 Jamaica: Dawkins forces Guzan to make a save at the near post.
90th minute, 2-1 Jamaica: There will be a minimum of three minutes of stoppage time in the second half.
Jamaica is doing all it can to run out the clock.
88th minute, 2-1 Jamaica: The referee cautions Yedlin for a foul on McAnuff.
86th minute, 2-1 Jamaica: History doesn’t bode well for the U.S.
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85th minute, 2-1 Jamaica: Barnes exits, and Humphrey enters in Jamaica’s second substitution.
81st minute, 2-1 Jamaica: Thompson saves Dempsey’s outside-of-the-foot effort, but Thompson saves it out for a corner kick.
78th minute, 2-1 Jamaica: Yedlin replaces Bedoya in Team USA’s third, and final, substitution.
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78th minute, 2-1 Jamaica: Gordon volleys Bedoya’s cross on goal, but it goes straight to Thompson.
77th minute, 2-1 Jamaica: Bradley’s long-range shot is deflected out for a corner kick. Team USA still is pressing for the game-tying goal.
73rd minute, 2-1 Jamaica: Gordon replaces Johannsson in Team USA’s second substitution. It’s Gordon’s second international appearance.
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71st minute, 2-1 Jamaica: Brooks heads Evans’ long throw-in on goal, but Thompson saves it.
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70th minute, 2-1 Jamaica: The United States remains on the front foot, but Jamaica continues to repel each attack.
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67th minute, 2-1 Jamaica: Diskerud replaces Beckerman in Team USA’s first substitution.
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Beckerman, 33, struggled in his fifth game of the tournament.
67th minute, 2-1 Jamaica: Zardes shoots over the crossbar from criminally close range, as Team USA constructs, but ultimately wastes, another flowing attacking move.
59th minute, 2-1 Jamaica: Dempsey volleys a corner kick toward Jamaica’s goal, but it deflects off a defender and goes out for a corner kick.
57th minute, 2-1 Jamaica: The second half continues at a frantic pace, as Team USA counters a Jamaica corner kick. The sequence ends when Bradley fires a shot off Thompson’s chest, which bounces off the post and away from danger.
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56th minute, 2-1 Jamaica: Dawkins replaces Mattocks in Jamaica’s first substitution.
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51st minute, 2-1 Jamaica: Thompson bobbles Johnson’s free kick in front of his goal again, but Johannsson bails him out by heading the rebound over the crossbar from close range.
48th minute, 2-1 Jamaica: Bradley halves Jamaica’s lead and he’s celebrating wildly.
Thompson spilled Dempsey’s shot in front of his goal. Bradley arrived first and slotted it in.
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46th minute, 2-0 Jamaica: The second half is underway.
Halftime, 2-0 Jamaica: That’s the end of the first half. Jamaica leads by two. Yes, you read that correctly.
The U.S. enters the break wondering what hit ’em. Things were going relatively smoothly for the United States over the first half-hour until Mattocks flicked Jamaica to an unexpected lead. Team USA still was composing itself when Barnes rocketed home a free kick just three minutes later. The U.S. finds itself in unexpected territory.
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Team USA was playing with plenty of confidence but lacked a bit of sharpness and killer instinct — perhaps due to travel and field conditions. Credit to Jamaica for making the most of their opportunities. They’re playing with no fear of “Goliath.”
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45th minute, 2-0 Jamaica: There will be a minimum of one minute of stoppage time in the first half.
45th minute, 2-0 Jamaica: The referee cautions McCleary for a foul on Johnson.
44th minute, 2-0 Jamaica: Dempsey has his first look on goal, but Thompson leaves his line and smother’s the U.S. forward’s shot.
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40th minute, 2-0 Jamaica: There goes Team USA’s margin for error. One more slip, mistake or calamity could lead to a third Jamaica goal, which would be fatal to the Americans’ championship hopes.
36th minute, 2-0 Jamaica: First this:
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Then this:
Barnes fires a free kick over the wall, past Guzan and into the goal. Jamaica leads by two.
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33rd minute, 1-0 Jamaica: The referee cautions Beckerman for a foul on Barnes.
31st minute, 1-0 Jamaica: Mattocks heads Lawrence’s long throw-in past Guzan and into Team USA’s goal. The upset watch is on.
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Team USA had been on the ascendancy, but Mattocks ended it with a flick of the head. He out-jumped the taller Brooks to meet the throw-in.
29th minute, 0-0: Johnson curls a shot on goal, but Thompson dives to his left and makes a fine, diving save.
28th minute, 0-0: Thompson nearly pays for his on-the-ball indecision, as Johannsson closes down then dispossesses the Jamaica goalkeeper before dinking his shot off the outside of the post.
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27th minute, 0-0: Barnes skies his shot from just 10 yards out after Mattocks created an opening for him inside Team USA’s penalty area.
24th minute, 0-0: Zardes shoots over Jamaica’s goal from 18 yards out, as Team USA threatens on the counter-attack.
23rd minute, 0-0: Johannsson nearly finds Dempsey with a short pass in Jamaica’s six-yard box, but defenders clear the danger in desperation.
22nd minute, 0-0: Johnson runs onto Bedoya’s pass inside Jamaica’s penalty area and attempts to cross into the goal-mouth, but defenders block it out for a corner kick. Jamaica manages to clear one, then a second, corner kick.
18th minute, 0-0: The United States is hogging possession, but Jamaica’s deep-lying and well-organized defense is making it difficult for the hosts to break through. Bedoya and Zardes can open space by positioning themselves closer to the sidelines and attack the wings with pace.
15th minute, 0-0: Dempsey shoots over Jamaica’s goal from 20 yards out.
11th minute, 0-0: Watson fires a long-range shot toward Guzan’s goal, but it misses the target.
11th minute, 0-0: Jamaica counters and earns a corner kick, showing the United States’ vulnerability too many of its players are caught up-field.
Eighth minute, 0-0: Team USA controlled the opening proceedings, but Jamaica has an early set piece in a dangerous position to the right of the U.S. penalty area.
The free kick sequence ends with a foul on Guzan. The first Gold Cup semifinal still has yet to come to life.
Third minute, 0-0: The ball is rolling unevenly in some places, as the grass field inside the Georgia Dome has more than a few bumpy patches.
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Kickoff: USA-Jamaica is underway at the Georgia Dome. Team USA is the heavy favorite.
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Pregame: Klinsmann continues to chop and change his lineup as he has done throughout the tournament.
Brooks and Evans take places on the back line in the center and right, respectively. Brooks was suspended for the quarterfinal win over Cuba but he returns to the starting 11 at Omar Gonzalez’s expense. Evans replaces Timmy Chandler, who suffered a minor knee injury in the first half against Cuba. Evans has been a stabilizing force when has played in the Gold Cup.
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Klinsmann goes with the same front six that tore Cuba to shreds. Johannsson will lead the forward line, bringing mobility and clinical finishing to the U.S. attack. Dempsey will play underneath him, as the second striker — his favored position.
Zardes and Bedoya will provide width and energy, and Bradley and Beckerman will look to control the tempo from the center of the midfield.
5:30 p.m.: Here are the lineups:
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United States
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Jamaica
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1:30 p.m. ET: Now is a good time for the United States men’s national soccer team to ride the wave of history.
The U.S. faces Jamaica on Wednesday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga., in the first semifinal of the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Team USA historically has overpowered Jamaica.
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But history won’t decide which team advances to the final. The players on the field will.
Clint Dempsey has fired the U.S. to the last four in this year’s Gold Cup. The red-hot forward has scored six goals in four Gold Cup games, leading the tournament in the all-important statistic. Dempsey’s continued good form bodes well for Team USA, which is buzzing following its 6-0 thrashing of Cuba in the quarterfinals.
The result of Jamaica’s first knockout-stage game wasn’t as eye-catching as Team USA’s, but the 1-0 win over Haiti put the Reggae Boyz into the Gold Cup semifinals for just the third time in their history and the first time since 1998. Jamaica head coach Winfried Schafer will rely on group cohesion and aggression honed throughout this summer (the Reggae Boyz competed in the 2015 COMNEBOL Copa America in June) against a team he calls the “Goliath” of CONCACAF. Schafer also hopes the likes of forward Giles Barnes can strike Team USA where it hurts.
The winner of USA-Jamaica will face the winner of Mexico-Panama on Sunday in the Gold Cup final. The losers of both games will face off Saturday in the third-place game.
USA-Jamaica kicks off at 6 p.m. Join us right here for all the action from the Georgia Dome.
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Thumbnail photo via Jason Getz/USA TODAY Sports Images
