United States shuts out Jamaica to advance to Gold Cup semifinal: Fan reaction

Posted Tuesday, June 21, 2011 by YAHOO Sport

The United States beat Jamaica 2-0 on Sunday, June 19, to advance to the Gold Cup semi-finals. Jermaine Jones scored on a powerful shot deflected into the goal by Jamaican defender Jermaine Taylor to give the U.S. the lead in the 49th minute. Clint Dempsey added the final goal with 10 minutes left in the match after handling Juan Agudelo's cross and knocking it past Jamaican goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts.

When the U.S. lineup was released, I was surprised to find that midfielder Landon Donovan would not be starting. U.S. head coach Bob Bradley held him out of the starting lineup because Donovan's flight didn't arrive in Washington, D.C., until 7:00 a.m. Bradley had been facing criticism for his decision to allow both Donovan and Dempsey to leave the team to attend weddings this week, and he was forced to make changes in the American lineup as a result.

Bradley changed formations for the match from the traditional 4-4-2 formation to a lineup featuring five midfielders and only one striker. Sacha Kljestan started in Donovan's slot and Alejandro Bedoya filled in as the fifth midfielder. Both players had a good game for the U.S. as the team consistently pressured a Jamaican defense that came into the match having shut out all of its opponents in the tournament.

The U.S. faced additional adversity early in the game when their lone forward in the lineup, Jozy Altidore, strained his hamstring and had to be substituted. Agudelo replaced him, but it felt like a huge blow considering the fact that Altidore is the one player on the U.S. team who has been playing well in the tournament.

However, the team responded by continually forcing Ricketts to make highlight reel saves throughout the first half. The Jamaicans just couldn't deal with Bradley's lineup change as the U.S. fired shot after shot at Ricketts. But Ricketts proved why he is one of the best goalkeepers, if not the best, in MLS by stopping every shot the U.S. fired at him.

Jamaica attempted to adjust to the U.S.'s aggressive midfield, but Jones's goal changed the entire match. It forced Jamaica to take more risks on offense, and even though Taylor was red-carded on a questionable call in 67th minute, they started pressuring the American back line. Jamaica put enough pressure on the U.S. defense that they started making poor decisions around the box. The U.S. was fortunate that Jamaica was unable to capitalize on their mistakes, and the team eventually sealed the game with Dempsey's goal.

With this victory, the U.S. moves on to rematch Panama, who beat them in group stages. It will be interesting to see how a tired U.S. responds to playing the same team that embarrassed them in Tampa last weekend. If they play against Panama the same way they played against a very good Jamaica team, there is a good chance the Americans will pull out the victory.

Derek Ciapala has been a fan of international soccer since the United States hosted the World Cup in 1994. His favorite moment in international football is Landon Donovan's last minute goal against Algeria in the 2010 World Cup.