The US men's national team enjoyed a dominant first half Monday night at St. Louis CITY SC's Energizer Park, cruising to a 4-2 win over Jamaica in the second leg of their Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal series.
Christian Pulisic scored once and forced an own goal, and Ricardo Pepi and Tim Weah scored a goal apiece, giving Mauricio Pochettino's side a 5-2 aggregate triumph and safe passage into both the 2024-25 Concacaf Nations League Finals and the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.
Pulisic opened the scoring in the 13th minute, beating Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Andre Blake to Weston McKennie's tantalizing cross and firing home first-time off the bounce.
Pulisic doubled the United States' advantage in the 33rd minute when his shot deflected off Jamaican defender Di'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 nine minutes later as Pepi struck from just outside 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.
Three minutes after Demarai Gray pulled Jamaica back a goal, Weah hammered a ball under the crossbar for his seventh international strike.
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 next March at SoFi Stadium.
Goals
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: If there was any doubt the USMNT would advance after last week's 1-0 win at Jamaica, 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. Come March, the USMNT will vie for their fourth-straight Nations League title.
- 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
