The USA is well on its manner to qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Sitting in first location (14 points) on the midway factor of the 14-in shape schedule, and coming off a resounding home win in opposition to local strength Mexico, there’s little for U.S. Fans to not feel upbeat about as the team heads to Jamaica for its contemporary healthy.
But this also might show the nerviest part of qualifying, because lovers who skilled the failed 2018 marketing campaign understand — as does U.S. Head educate Gregg Berhalter — that it'll be a long way from clean sailing the rest of the manner. Tuesday’s road journey to stand a desperate Jamaica facet is just the type of check it'll need to live on to avoid complicating matters over the final seven suits.
Jamaica (sixth, six factors) is seven factors from the qualifying zone and five points from the lone wild-card playoff spot. The Jamaicans will feel like they ought to have three extra points after allowing high priced past due dreams to Mexico and El Salvador on the street. But with five in their past seven suits coming at home in Kingston, the Reggae Boyz recognise that a run at Qatar 2022 will come down to racking up wins on the National Stadium.
LIVE BLOG: Jamaica vs. USA - commentary and updates
This is the fourth time that those groups have met this yr, with the united states triumphing all 3 previous matchups: a 4-1 pleasant win in Austria, a 1-0 Gold Cup quarterfinal win (83rd minute game-winner) and a 2-0 October qualifying win in Austin, Texas, on dreams by way of teenager sensation Ricardo Pepi (under).
But the Jamaicans have been shorthanded for that last fit. This time their two largest stars, Leon Bailey (Aston Villa) and Michail Antonio (West Ham), are anticipated to be on the field. And their first qualifier in opposition to the united states can have an additional special experience to it: The Reggae Boyz will be gambling in front of enthusiasts for the first time at the 34th anniversary of the sport wherein they clinched their best World Cup appearance in a 0-zero home draw in opposition to Mexico again in 1997.
Jamaica vs. USA will air on Universo (Spanish) and Paramount+ (English) with the Universo feed available thru stream on fuboTV. New customers can strive fuboTV on a free 7-day trial.
There could be five,000 fanatics anticipated in Kingston’s National Stadium, around 15 percentage of capability. That’s nonetheless more than the Jamaicans had at their beyond two qualifying domestic games, wherein they did not register a victory.
In a must-win domestic game, Bailey and Antonio will begin. Manager Theodore Whitmore has made modifications on his returned line with Liam Moore coming in for veteran center again Adrian Mariappa, and Javain Brown taking on at right again for Oniel Fisher, who isn't always even indexed at the bench.
