The second half was completely forgettable except for Herculez Gomez's goal in the 55th minute off a free kick. That turned out to be the game-winner as the U.S. held on for a 1-0 win in a 2014 World Cup qualifier that truthfully shouldn't have been that close. The three points are all that matters though since Jamaica beat them 2-1 on Friday in Kingston.
The U.S. improved to 7-2-2 this year and is now 11-1-8 all-time against Jamaica. The U.S. maintained its unbeaten record at Columbus Crew Stadium, moving to 6-0-3 all-time at the USA’s first soccer specific venue and they are 9-0-3 in home matches against Jamaica.
Now, the U.S. vaulted from third-place in Group A to a first-place tie with Guatemala (who beat Antigua and Barbuda 1-0 tonight as well). They each have seven points (2-1-1), along with Jamaica, but the U.S. and Guatemala have a better goal-differential at +2. There are two more matches in this round: U.S. at Antigua and Barbuda on October 12 and U.S. hosts Guatemala on October 16 in Kansas City. It looks like the latter match could have huge implications since the top two make it to the next round which means either the U.S., Guatemala or Jamaica will be eliminated.
Jurgen Klinsmann made five changes to his starting lineup and they paid immediate dividends. Graham Zusi, making his first appearance in a World Cup qualifier, was one of the U.S.' better players. In the 6th minute, his shot out of nowhere nearly went in but it hit the crossbar-something which became all too familiar.
Gomez also had a fine match, he almost was sent in on a breakaway when he chested down a long pass from Steve Cherundolo but he was knocked off the ball. Later, his free kick into the box was right where you want it but Jermaine Jones completely whiffed on a header that wasn't that difficult.
After Jones drew a yellow card on Lovel Palmer in the 17th minute for a wild tackle, Gomez's free kick was punched out by Dwayne Miller. By that point, the U.S. was buzzing as Cherundolo's rare shot was deflected off the post. Then Carlos Bocanegra headed a corner back to Zusi but his volley was high. For the third time in the opening 30 minutes, the U.S. hit the woodwork as Danny Williams' long-range shot beat Miller to the side but rattled off the post.
Gomez and the U.S. were rewarded for their stellar start in the 54th minute when he scored his fifth career international goal, second in World Cup qualifying. He hit the curling shot well but in reality, Miller made much better saves in the first half and I'm sure he'd like to have that one back since his hands were in position while he dove to the side. Regardless, the U.S. deserved that strike which isn't something I would often exclaim.
It would have been great to see the U.S. pop an insurance goal and put this out of reach but that's generally not how they operate. Klinsmann rolled the dice by taking out Zusi, Jose Torres and Gomez for Maurice Edu, Brek Shea and Jozy Altidore respectively. Not exactly your dream trio in terms of salting away a win. Oh well, it worked this time.
There were a couple nervy moments for Tim Howard as Jamaica finally looked to go forward in the second half but they either couldn't connect on crosses or shots went over the goal. This was an ugly win but on the road to a World Cup, you're bound to have matches like tonight when you have to slog through unforeseen circumstances (hitting the post three times). Credit to the U.S. for staying composed and knowing that their time would come. Let's hope Michael Bradley and Landon Donovan are healthy in October because they could sure use their talents in the midfield and attacking third.
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