USMNT held to 1-1 draw by Jamaica in World Cup qualifier

The United States men’s national team tied 1-1 against Jamaica on Tuesday night in Kingston, earning only four out of a possible six points during the November round of World Cup qualifiers. 

Despite the mediocre result, the USMNT stands in second place on the Concacaf table after Mexico lost 2-1 to Canada on Tuesday night. 

Gianluca Busio and Chris Richards replaced Weston McKennie and Miles Robinson on the starting line up as the Juventus striker and Atlanta United defender served a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation. 

The American side kicked off the game with an unmatched intensity, inspiring players to push forward and quickly draw Jamaica into their own half. A spectacular play in the 11th minute saw an in-form Tim Weah strike the ball past Major League Soccer goalkeeper Andre Blake to give United States the lead.  

The celebrations were short lived after West Ham striker Michail Antonio scored what may be considered the goal of the November qualifiers. The Reggae Boyz forward dodged defenders before positioning himself 25 yards from goal, firing past Zack Steffen to find the upper left corner of the net.

The US men’s national team found it difficult to regain their momentum after the equalizer. To combat a downward spiral Gregg Berhalter subbed Chelsea player Christian Pulisic into the game during the second half in hopes he could make any sort of impact. 

By that point, it was clear the American side could not recover. The Reggae Boyz instead appeared superior, narrowly losing out on all three points after the referee disallowed a would-be second goal in the 85th minute. 

While the call by the referee remains controversial to most, the USMNT is lucky to walk away with one point to remain in the top two of the Concacaf table.