PREVIEW: USMNT, JAMAICA TO SQAURE OFF MONDAY IN SECOND LEG OF CONCACAF NATIONS LEAGUE QUARTERFINALS AT ST. LOUIS’ CITYPARK
CHICAGO (Nov. 17, 2024) — The U.S. Men’s National Team can confirm its place in both the 2025 Concacaf Nations League Finals and the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup with a win or draw against Jamaica in the second leg of its Nations League quarterfinal series on Monday evening in St. Louis.
Kickoff at CITYPARK, the two-year-old home of St. Louis City, is at 8 p.m. ET and the match will be broadcast by TNT, TruTV, Universo, Max, Peacock and Fútbol de Primera Radio. Tickets for the USMNT’s last game of 2024 can be purchased here.
Fans can also follow the match via Facebook, Twitter @USMNT, Instagram @USMNT and the official U.S. Soccer app
The USMNT won the quarterfinal opener, 1-0, on Nov. 14 in Kingston, Jamaica. Striker Ricardo Pepi scored the game’s only goal and goalkeeper Matt Turner saved a penalty kick to preserve the win. It was the first competitive match, and first competitive victory, under new head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
The two-game quarterfinal series will be decided by aggregate goals, and away goals will be used as a tiebreaker if Jamaica wins by one in St. Louis. If the teams remain level on both goals and away goals, 30 minutes of extra time will be played. Away goals won’t be counted in extra time, and penalties will determine the winner if the score is still tied.
USMNT ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB/COUNTRY; CAPS/GOALS)
GOALKEEPERS (4): Diego Kochen (FC Barcelona Atlètic/ESP; 0/0), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; 2/0), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids; 29/0), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace/ENG; 48/0)
DEFENDERS (7): Mark McKenzie (Toulouse/FRA; 16/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 65/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 23/1), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 49/4), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 30/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/ GER; 18/0), Auston Trusty (Celtic/SCO; 4/0)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 46/8), Gianluca Busio (Venezia/ITA; 16/1), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 57/11), Yunus Musah (AC Milan; ITA; 44/1), Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyon/FRA; 5/0), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 17/0)
FORWARDS (6): Cade Cowell (Chivas de Guadalajara/MEX; 10/1), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 32/12), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 75/31), Brandon Vazquez (Monterrey/MEX; 10/4), Tim Weah (Juventus/ITA; 41/6), Alex Zendejas (Club América/ MEX; 10/1)
LAST TIME OUT
The USA took a one-goal aggregate lead in its Nations League quarterfinal series with a 1-0 defeat of Jamaica on Nov. 14 at the National Stadium in Kingston. It was the first competitive match under coach Mauricio Pochettino, who was hired in September and then managed a pair of friendlies in October (a win over Panama and a loss at Mexico).
Contested on a bumpy field in Kingston, the quarterfinal opener was a disjointed, contentious affair that tilted the Americans’ way thanks to two critical plays early in the first half. In the fifth minute, Christian Pulisic accelerated into the space between Jamaica’s midfield and five-man back line and then slipped a perfect through ball into Ricardo Pepi’s path. Pepi took one touch and fired a shot across the face of Andre Blake’s goal, off the inside of the left post and in.
Seven minutes later, goalkeeper Matt Turner was whistled for a foul on Jamaican striker Shamar Nicholson, who’d dribbled through the U.S. penalty area. Turner made immediate amends, however, diving to his right to save Demarai Gray’s spot kick.
The second half was punctuated by seven yellow cards, including two to Reggae Boyz defender Mason Holgate, who was sent off in the 86th minute. Jamaica outshot the visitors, 12-6, but the USA put more attempts on target—three to the Reggae Boyz’ two.
Pochettino became just the third full-time USMNT manager to win his first competitive away game, following Bob Bradley (at Barbados in 2008) and Steve Sampson (at Trinidad & Tobago in 1996).
It also was the USMNT’s first shutout win as the road team since an October 2016 friendly in Cuba, where Julian Green and Chris Wondolowski scored in a 2-0 triumph in Havana. The USA’s most recent competitive shutout win as the road team came just a month earlier, in September 2016. Christian Pulisic scored his second and third intentional goals as the USA routed St. Vincent and the Grenadines, 6-0, in a World Cup qualifier in Kingstown.
The USA is 5W-6L-2D in 2024 and currently ranked 18th in the world by FIFA.
AGAINST JAMAICA
Thursday’s win in Kingston lifted the USA’s all-time record against Jamaica to 21W-3L-10D since their first meeting in 1988. The USA is on a 6W-0L-2D unbeaten run since losing a friendly to the Reggae Boyz, 1-0, on June 5, 2019 in Washington D.C.
Recent meetings have been close, however, as Jamaica has emerged as the Caribbean’s top-ranked side (it’s currently 61st, compared to Haiti at 86 and Curaçao at 90).
At the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup, the USA needed an 83rd-minute goal from Matthew Hoppe to win a quarterfinal in Arlington, Texas. In October 2021, the Americans prevailed, 2-0, in a World Cup qualifier in nearby Austin thanks to two second-half goals by Ricardo Pepi.
The next three matches were 1-1 after 90 minutes. Points were split in a November 2021 World Cup qualifier in Kingston and then a 2023 Gold Cup group stage game in Chicago, where Brandon Vazquez tallied an 88th-minute equalizer. Then on March 31, 2024 in a 2023-24 Concacaf Nations League semifinal in Arlington, the USA yielded a first-minute goal and trailed throughout before forcing extra time with a 96th-minute own goal. Haji Wright then notched a brace to send the Americans through to the final, where they beat Mexico.
Thursday’s quarterfinal opener may have ended 1-1 as well if not for Matt Turner’s penalty kick save.
THE USMNT IN ST. LOUIS
Monday will mark the USMNT’s third visit to CITYPARK, the 22,400-seat downtown home of MLS side St. Louis City. The venue opened almost two years ago to the day with a Nov. 16, 2022 friendly between St. Louis City’s reserve side and Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen.
The USMNT is 2W-0L-0D at CITYPARK. In its first visit, it defeated Saint Kitts and Nevis, 6-0, in a Concacaf Gold Cup group stage game on June 28, 2023. Jesús Ferreira had a hat trick, Djordje Mihailovic scored a pair and Bryan Reynolds tallied his first USMNT goal. A few weeks later, on Sept. 9, 2023, the USA returned to CITYPARK and defeated Uzbekistan, 3-0, in a friendly. Ricardo Pepi, Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah scored.
As an historic epicenter of American soccer, St. Louis was a routine host to the USMNT for decades prior to the construction of CITYPARK. The first international in St. Louis was a World Cup qualifier in 1957 between the USA and Canada. The visitors triumphed, 3-2, at the Public School Grounds. The USMNT also played five times at the suburban facility now known as World Wide Technology Soccer Park (including a World Cup qualifier against Jamaica in 1988) twice at the baseball Cardinals’ old Busch Stadium and twice at its modern replacement.
Overall, the USMNT has a 8W-1L-3D record in St. Louis, scoring 34 goals and yielding eight.
THE COMPETITION BEGINS
The USMNT’s final fixture of 2024 will set the stage for a crucial 2025. As a co-host, the USA qualifies automatically for the 2026 World Cup. There are no qualifying matches to contest. That leaves the Nations League and Gold Cup as the program’s only competitive opportunities before the summer of 2026. Making the most of those tournaments will be critical, andeliminating Jamaica this month is the key to both.
Launched in 2019, the Nations League was designed to provide additional competitive games for Concacaf’s 41 members while establishing a consistent and inclusive Gold Cup qualifying framework. It’s played in three tiers—A, B and C—with promotion and relegation. A single-elimination final four then determines a champion. The USA has won each of the first three Nations League titles.
All Concacaf teams, including the USMNT, participated in group play during the first two editions. From 2023-24 (the third edition), the top four nations in Concacaf’s ranking received a bye to a new home-and-away quarterfinal round, where they’re joined by four qualifiers from League A.
The quarterfinal round serves two purposes, sending the winner to both the Nations League final four and the next Gold Cup. If the USA defeats Jamaica, it will advance to the 2025 Nations League Finals, which will be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. on March 20 and 23. It also will confirm its place in the 16-team Gold Cup, the biennial Concacaf championship, running from June 14 to July 6.
If the Americans fall to Jamaica, they’llmiss out on the Nations League final four and contest a Gold Cup qualifying playoff instead.
Mexico, Canada, USA and Panama—ranked in that order by Concacaf—received a bye to this month’s Nations League quarterfinals. Costa Rica, Honduras, Jamaica and Suriname advanced from their groups in League A. Quarterfinal matchups were determined by ranking and group stage performance. They’re as follows:
USA vs. Jamaica
Nov. 14 USA 1 at Jamaica 0
Nov. 18 at CITYPARK, St. Louis, Mo.
Mexico vs. Honduras
Nov. 15 Mexico 0 at Honduras 2
Nov. 19 at Estadio Nemesio Díez, Toluca, Mexico
Canada vs. Suriname
Nov. 15 Canada 1 at Suriname 0
Nov. 19 at BMO Field, Toronto, Canada
Panama vs. Costa Rica
Nov. 14 Panama 1 at Costa Rica 0
Nov. 18 at Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama
Semifinal pairings will be based on the quarterfinal winners’ results.
The USA is 14W-2L-1D all-time in Nations League play and lifted the trophy in each of the first three editions (2019-21, 2022-23 and 2023-24).
POCHETTINO THE INTERNATIONAL
Although this is Mauricio Pochettino’s first foray into national team coaching, the former central defender represented his native Argentina 20 times as a player from 1999 through 2002, scoring twice.
He made his debut under coach Marcelo Bielsa in a friendly against the Netherlands on March 31, 1999 and that June, he went 90 minutes in a 1-0 loss to the USA in Washington D.C. He was part of Argentina’s 1999 Copa América squad and made two appearances, coming on as a substitute in a 2-0 group stage win over rival Uruguay and then starting the 2-1 quarterfinal loss to Brazil.
Pochettino emerged as a more frequent starter during Argentina’s stretch run in qualifying for the 2002 World Cup. He then started and played all 90 minutes in each of Argentina’s three matches at the World Cup in Japan.
As a coach, Pochettino’s international tournament résumé is highlighted by Tottenham’s’ run to its first UEFA Champions League final in 2019. Spurs finished second in a difficult group that included Barcelona, Inter Milan and PSV Eindhoven. They then survived a knockout-stage gauntlet that included Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City and Ajax before losing to Liverpool in the final. Tottenham successfully navigated the group stage in four of Pochettino’s five full seasons of European competition: the Europa League in 2014-15 and 2015-16 and the Champions League in 2017-18 and 2018-19.
In his season and a half with Paris Saint-Germain, Pochettino reached the Champions League semis in 2021 with knockout stage defeats of Barcelona and Bayern Munich. PSG lost to Real Madrid in the round-of-16 in 2022.
He is now 2W-1L-0D as USMNT manager. Monday’s game in St. Louis will be his first home competitive international on the U.S. bench.
ROSTER UPDATE
Midfielders Brenden Aaronson and Aidan Morris were unavailable for selection in Kingston. Aaronson was ill and did not travel to Jamaica, while Morris suffered a right knee sprain in training and was ruled out of both matches. Aaronson met up with the rest of the team in St. Louis on Friday while Morris has departed camp.
Midfielder Johnny Cardoso left Thursday’s game with an injury and was replaced by Malik Tillman in the 21st minute. Cardoso has departed camp, leaving 23 players on the roster.
ROSTER NOTES
- The 23 players represent clubs in nine different countries: Italy (5), England (4), USA (4), Mexico (3), France (2), Netherlands (2), Germany (1), Scotland (1), Spain (1).
- Nineteen players were part of the team’s October camp, while goalkeeper Diego Kochen, defender Chris Richards and forwards Cade Cowell and Tim Weah are getting their first looks under Pochettino.
- Christian Pulisic (75) is the leading cap-winner, followed by Tim Ream (65), Weston McKennie (57) and Antonee Robinson (49). Pulisic became the 33rd player to reach 75 caps for the USMNT. He’s tied with Mike Burns and four behind Chris Henderson. If Robinson earns his 50th cap in St. Louis, he’ll become the 62nd USMNT player to reach the milestone. The others with exactly 50 are Paul Arriola and Mike Windischmann.
- Christian Pulisic is the leading international goal scorer on the roster with 31. He’s followed by Ricardo Pepi (12), Weston McKennie (11), Brenden Aaronson (8) and Tim Weah (6).
- Christian Pulisic assisted on Ricardo Pepi’s game winner in Jamaica and has now been involved in 32 goals in official Concacaf competitions (20 goals, 12 assists), third-most among USMNT players (Landon Donovan – 68, Clint Dempsey – 40). The USA has won the past 11 official Concacaf matches in which Pulisic was involved in a goal.
- Weston McKennie leads all USMNT players with 15 career Nations League appearances and six goals. Christian Pulisic has five Nations League goals.
- Ricardo Pepi is the only active USMNT player with three career goals against Jamaica. He scored both goals in a 2-0 World Cup qualifying defeat of the Reggae Boyz on Oct. 7, 2021 in Austin, Texas, and then notched his third last Thursday in Kingston. Christian Pulisic has two. He tallied a brace in the USA’s 3-1 win in a 2019 Gold Cup semifinal in Nashville. Brenden Aaronson, Weston McKennie, Brandon Vazquez and Tim Weah have also scored against Jamaica.
- With his goal in Kingston, Ricardo Pepi became the fourth USMNT player to reach 12 goals before his 22nd birthday, joining Landon Donovan, Jozy Altidore and Christian Pulisic.
- Tim Ream has won the captain’s armband in each of Pochettino’s first three games in charge. The USMNT is 9W-3L-1D all-time with Ream as captain.
- Matt Turner has saved three of the eight penalty kicks he’s faced in net for the USMNT (not including shootouts). Turner made his international debut in a January 2021 friendly against Trinidad & Tobago, during which he stopped a penalty kick by Alvin Jones. Turner denied Jamaica’s Leon Bailey in a 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup group-stage game (it was Turner’s birthday and he was captaining the team for the first time), and then got the best of Demarai Gray on Thursday in Kingston.
- Tuesday, Nov. 5 was a record-breaking day for Americans in the UEFA Champions League, as an unprecedented nine players took the field in Europe’s most elite club competition. Their teams went 4W-0L-1D. Eight are on the current roster while the ninth, Borussia Dortmund forward Cole Campbell, will spend the November window with the Under-20 Men’s National Team.
- Malik Tillman was UEFA’s Player of the Match on Nov. 5 as he tallied one goal and two assists in PSV Eindhoven’s 4-0 home win over Girona. The 22-year-old now has six goals and four assists for PSV in 17 games in all competitions this season.
- Christian Pulisic also enjoyed a standout Nov. 5 as he set up AC Milan’s opening goal in a 3-1 win at reigning champion Real Madrid. The Hershey, Pa. native remains red hot for the Rossoneri, racking up a team-leading seven goals and five assists in 15 matches across all competitions.
- Ricardo Pepi notched one goal and one assist in PSV Eindhoven’s 3-0 Eredivisie win over NAC Breda on Nov. 9, taking his total to seven goals and one assist in 16 matches across all competitions.
- Tim Weah has found his form with Juventus, tallying three goals and one assist in his past five appearances. He scored in Serie A games against Inter Milan (Oct. 27), Parma (Oct. 30) and city rival Torino (Nov. 9). Weah is eligible to play Monday in St. Louis after serving his suspension for a red card he received during the group stage match against Panama at this summer’s Copa América.
- Nine players are age 23 or younger: Patrick Schulte and Tanner Tessmann (23); Gianluca Busio and Malik Tillman (22); Cade Cowell, Yunus Musah, Ricardo Pepi, and Joe Scally (21); Diego Kochen (18).
- Sixteen players are products of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, with 12 produced by MLS Academies: Brenden Aaronson (Philadelphia Union), Gianluca Busio (Sporting Kansas City), Cade Cowell (San Jose Earthquakes), Diego Kochen (Weston FC) Weston McKennie (FC Dallas), Mark McKenzie (Philadelphia Union), Ricardo Pepi (FC Dallas), Christian Pulisic (PA Classics), Chris Richards (FC Dallas), Miles Robinson (FC Boston Bolts), Joe Scally (New York City FC), Patrick Schulte (St. Louis Scott Gallagher, Saint Louis FC), Zack Steffen (Philadelphia Union), Auston Trusty (Philadelphia Union), Tim Weah (New York Red Bulls) and Alex Zendejas (FC Dallas).
USA-JAMAICA NOTES
- The USA’s 21W-3L-10D all-time record against Jamaica includes a 14W-2L-8D mark in official competition and a 2W-0L-0D record in the Nations League.
- The USA’s 21 wins over Jamaica are its third-most against a single opponent, behind Mexico (24) and Trinidad & Tobago (22).
- Monday’s match will be the 15th competitive meeting between the USMNT and Jamaica since 2011, with the Americans 10W-2L-2D in the previous 14. Panama is the only other opponent the USA has faced at least 15 times in official competition during that span.
- The USA and Jamaica have met in a two-game, aggregate goals series once previously. The sides had never played each other when they were drawn to face off in the second round of Concacaf’s 1990 World Cup qualifying competition (which doubled as the 1989 confederation championship). The opener in Kingston on July 24, 1988 finished 0-0, leaving the USA needing a result in the return leg in Fenton, Mo., to progress. The Aug. 13 match at what is now World Wide Technology Soccer Park was tied, 1-1, at the hour mark, but the USA then pulled away and ran out 5-1 winners. Nearly two years later, after negotiating Concacaf’s final round, the USMNT made its modern-era World Cup debut in Italy.
JAMAICA ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB/COUNTRY; CAPS/GOALS)
GOALKEEPERS (3): Andre Blake (Philadelphia Union/USA; 80/0), Shaquan Davis (Mount Pleasant; 1/0), Jahmali Waite (El Paso Locomotive/USA; 13/0)
DEFENDERS (9): Amari’i Bell (Luton Town/ENG; 20/1), Di’shon Bernard (Sheffield Wednesday/ENG; 18/1), Tayvon Gray (New York City FC/USA; 8/0), Richard King (Cavalier; 20/0), Greg Leigh (Oxford United/ENG; 22/1), Dexter Lembikisa (Yverdon Sport/SUI; 22/1), Damion Lowe (Al Okhdood/KSA; 70/3), Ethan Pinnock (Brentford/ENG; 17/0)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Karoy Anderson (Charlton Athletic/ENG; 11/0), Jahshaun Anglin (Mount Pleasant; 4/0), Isaac Hayden (Newcastle United/ENG; 1/0), Joel Latibeaudiere (Coventry City/ENG; 22/0), Tyreek Magee (Colorado Springs Switchbacks/USA; 13/0), Ravel Morrison (Precision FC/UAE: 18/2), Kasey Palmer (Hull City/ENG; 13/0)
FORWARDS (7): Leon Bailey (Aston Villa/ENG; 31/5), Khori Bennett (Las Vegas Light/USA; 0/0), Renaldo Cephas (Ankaragücü/TUR; 11/0), Demarai Gray (Al Ettifaq/KSA; 19/5), Shamar Nicholson (Spartak Moscow/RUS; 55/19), Romario Williams (Indy Eleven/USA; 23/4)
JAMAICA OF LATE
Jamaica is 6W-5L-3D in 2024 and has slipped slightly from 55th to 61st in FIFA’s ranking during the year. It’s been a busy period, as the Reggae Boyzkicked off their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, played in the Copa América and contested both the 2023-24 Nations League finals and the 2024-25 group stage, with mixed results.
Jamaica rebounded from the Nations League semifinal loss to the USA in March and claimed bronze with a 1-0 win over Panama. It rode that momentum into June and its first two World Cup qualifiers: one-goal victories over Dominican Republic and Dominica. At 2W-0L-0D, the Reggae Boyzare tied with Guatemala atop their five-team group, from which two will advance to next year’s 12-team third round.
Jamaica struggled at the 2024 Copa América, however, losing to Mexico, Ecuador and Venezuela and scoring just once. Head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson resigned and was replaced by Steve McLaren.
In September and October, Jamaica went 2W-0L-2D in Nations League group play, yielding just one goal in the process and finishing atop its six-team group. Notably, the two draws occurred in Kingston— goalless games against Cuba and Honduras—while the two wins came on the road.
Spartak Moscow forward Shamar Nicholson leads the Reggae Boyzwith three goals in 2024. West Ham United’s Michail Antonio and Charlton Athletic’s Kaheim Dixon have two each.
This month marks the international return of Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey, who hadn’t played for Jamaica since appearing in the 2023-24 Nations League quarterfinals one year ago. He then started and went the full 90 minutes in Thursday’s opener in Kingston, taking two shots and earning a yellow card. Bailey has five goals in 31 career international matches.
Goalkeeper and captain Andre Blake missed both the June World Cup qualifiers and the Copa América with an injury. Since returning to the Reggae Boyz’ net, he’s yielded just two goals in five games. A three-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year with the Philadelphia Union, Blake has faced the USMNT 10 times since 2017. Jamaica’s record is 1W-7L-2D in those 10 matches.
Defender Mason Holgate is suspended for Monday’s game after receiving a red card on Thursday in Kingston. He was shown a yellow card in the 76th minute for a foul on Gianluca Busio and then saw yellow again (plus red) in the 86th for a tactical foul on Brandon Vazquez.
Striker Michail Antonio was suspended in Kingston because of yellow card accumulation but is expected to be available for the second leg in St. Louis.
AT THE HELM
Former England national team coach native Steve McLaren, 63, was hired to manage Jamaica on July 31. He most recently worked with Erik ten Hag at Manchester United and hadn’t been a head coach since leaving Queens Park Rangers in spring 2019.
McLaren is Jamaica’s fourth European manager of the 2000s, following former USMNT coach Bora Milutinović (2006-07), Germany’s Winfried Schäfer (2013-16) and Iceland’s Hallgrímsson (former England international John Barnes, a Kingston native, also coached the Reggae Boyzin 2008-09).
McLaren initially made his name in coaching circles as an assistant to Alex Ferguson at United and has managed clubs in England, Netherlands and Germany over the past 23 years. He led his first club, Middlesbrough, to an EFL Cup title in 2004 and then a Cinderella run to the 2006 UEFA Cup final, where it lost to Sevilla. He also won the Dutch Eredivisie crown with FC Twente in 2009-10.
The English FA appointed McLaren to succeed Sven-Göran Eriksson following the 2006 World Cup. McLaren endured a rough start to his England tenure, which put qualification for Euro 2008 in jeopardy. Three straight wins in the fall of 2007 lifted the Three Lions back into contention, however, but subsequent defeats to Russia and then Croatia—the latter a 3-2 setback at Wembley Stadium—sealed their fate. McLaren was fired, and England hasn’t missed a major tournament since.
McLaren rebounded with success at Twente and subsequently spent time coaching and/or consulting at VfL Wolfsburg, Nottingham Forest, Twente again, Derby County (three times), Newcastle United, Maccabi Tel Aviv, QPR and Manchester United.
McLaren and Pochettino opposed each other on an English sideline on Dec. 13, 2015, when McLaren’s Newcastle shocked Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur, 2-1, at White Hart Lane. Spurs had been on a 14-game unbeaten run in Premier League play while Newcastle was stuck in the relegation zone. The result wasn’t an omen. McLaren was dismissed three months later, while Pochettino guided Tottenham to a third-place finish and Champions League qualification.
McLaren is 2W-1L-2D with Jamaica.