The US men's national team rode a dominnt first half and cruised to a 4-2 win over Jamaica in the second leg of a Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal at St. Louis CITY SC's Energizer Park Monday night.
Christian Pulisic struck for a brace and Ricardo Pepi and Tim Weah scored a goal apiece as Mauricio Pochettino's side secures safe passage into the Concacaf Nations League Finals in March at SoFi Stadium and for the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup following a 5-2 aggregate triumph.
Pulisic opened the scoring in the 13th minute, beating Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Andre Blake to Weston McKennie's tantalizing cross in the box and firing home first-time off the bounce.
Pulsic doubled the United States' advantage in the 33rd minute when his shot deflected off Jamaican defender D'Shon Bernard and past Blake after former FC Dallas midfielder Tanner Tessman dummied McKennie's pass his way.
The USMNT took a deserved 3-0 lead seven minutes later as red-hot Ricardo Pepi struck from just outside of the 18-yard box, extending his goal-scoring streak to three consecutive matches. it was the ex-FC Dallas forward's fourth goal in five all-time appearances against Jamaica.
Two minutes after Demari Gray pulled Jamaica back a goal, Weah hammered a ball under the crossbar for his seventh international goal.
Gray added a second for the Reggae Boyz in the 68th minute, but the result was never in doubt as the USMNT cruised into the Nations League semifinals.
Goals
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: If there was any doubt the USMNT would advance, that was put to bed in the opening 45 minutes. The Yanks dominated possession and sliced up the Jamaican defense with McKennie acting as the playmaker and Pulisic and Pepi finishing clinically.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: McKennie and Pulisic combined brilliantly on the opening goal that set the tone for the lopsided win.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Pulisic was the best player on the pitch during a nearly flawless 69-minute shift in which he made history.
Next Up
- USA: January 18 vs. Venezuela (3 pm ET | TNT, Telemundo, Universo, Max, Peacock) | International Friendly
- JAM: TBD
