Tim Weah scored early after working a give-and-go with Ricardo Pepi, but Michail Antonio's thunderbolt forced the visiting US men's national team to settle for a 1-1 draw against Jamaica on Tuesday evening in Concacaf World Cup Qualifying.
Weah's first qualifying goal guaranteed the United States would finish Matchday 8 of 14 in the final round of Concacaf play no worse than second in the eight-team field, depending on the result of Canada's tilt with Mexico later Tuesday.
Jamaica missed a chance to gain crucial ground with a victory after they began the night seven points back of the top three places and five behind fourth-place Panama.
The Reggae Boyz were the more dangerous side after halftime, with Bobby De Cordova-Reid firing over the bar from extremely close range and Damion Lowe's apparent winner from a corner kick ruled out for a push on Walker Zimmerman.
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: The Americans flipped the script from most of their earlier away performances, starting extremely well but fading particularly after halftime. However, it's an acceptable result at this stage against a Reggae Boyz squad that has much more talent at their disposal than at the beginning of the Octagonal.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Jamaica were outplayed over the opening 20 minutes and needed a spark. That arrived in the form of Antonio's audacious strike from distance, one that showed why he's one of the elite scorers in the English Premier League. With two goals in three appearances, he's going to be a problem for remaining Concacaf foes.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Walker Zimmerman. The Nashville SC defender organized the backline admirably while his usual partner Miles Robinson served a red card suspension. He also gets credit for potentially selling the late foul that ruled out Lowe's header.
Up Next
- JAM: Thursday, Jan. 27 vs. Mexico | Time TBD (Concacaf World Cup qualifying)
- USA: Saturday, Dec. 18 vs. Bosnia | 8 pm ET (Friendly)
