USMNT 3, Jamaica 1: Haji Wright stars in U.S. comeback to reach Nations League final

By
James BAOUCH
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The U.S. men’s national team was down 1-0 and on the verge of to the third-place game in the CONCACAF Nations League finals, but a 95th-minute equalizing own goal by Jamaica saved Gregg Berhalter’s side, which went on to beat the Reggae Boyz 3-1 after extra time at AT&T Stadium on Thursday.

The U.S. was fighting from behind for almost the entire match, with Jamaica scoring after just 34 seconds – the fastest goal from kickoff conceded by the U.S. in the last century. Once in extra time, two goals from injury replacement Haji Wright, both assisted by Gio Reyna, secured a chance to win a second-straight Nations League title.

The U.S. will play the winner of the Mexico vs. Panama semifinal in Sunday’s title match.

Here are our takeaways from a strange game in Arlington, Tex.

…Jamaica scored when?

Gregg Berhalter lined his team up in its usual 4-3-3 to start the match, with Tyler Adams and Johnny Cardoso on the bench as they return from injuries of varying length. Yunus Musah was entrusted to serve as the midfield’s base beneath Weston McKennie and Malik Tillman. Up front, Christian Pulisic  wore the armband, while Folarin Balogun started up top.

Whatever the game plan was with that group, it was dealt a blow in short order.

Once the whistle blew, the Reggae Boyz were decisive, with Bobby De Cordova-Reid working down the left flank and sending a cross over Joe Scally, who failed to defend Gregory Leigh in any meaningful way. The Oxford United forward enjoyed an uncontested header and placed it well, opening the scoring in just 34 seconds.

Perhaps Jamaica head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson and his staff noticed the awkward playing surface during pre-game preparation and decided to use it to their team’s advantage. Either way, the quick decision by Dexter Lembikisa to play a bounce-pass throw was enough to put the USMNT at an early disadvantage and put Jamaica in control of the match. – Jeff Rueter

…The USMNT equalized when?

At first, the fourth official indicated that the second half would conclude after four minutes of stoppage. Mere seconds after the board first went up, that number ticked upwards to five. Andre Blake seemed to think his day was done as he pounced on a lofted pass at the 4:38 mark and smothered it into the ground. Instead, Blake was pressed well by Haji Wright and was rushed into a quicker restart than intended. That initiative from Wright gifted his team one last chance that proved costly for Jamaica’s hopes of finishing the upset.

The first four minutes of stoppage played out much like the preceding 90: the United States dominated possession in non-dangerous areas, then struggled to find a way to breach the Jamaican defense. At the 4:52 mark of stoppage, the United States began a more flowing attacking motion across the halfway line after Blake’s quick restart, with another ball being cleared by Michael Hector. The ball went out at 5:02, and the referee granted the United States another corner kick.

The result was a Pulisic corner kick that (finally) went past the first defender, finding Burke, who put it past his own goalkeeper.

Seemingly, the play resulting in the corner was deemed a continuation of the attacking sequence that began with Wright’s last-second pressing. Broadcast rules expert Christina Unkel pointed to De Cordova-Reid’s tardiness to leave the field upon being subbed off as the final straw that added one more minute to second-half stoppage.

The fact that the United States crashed into the final third before the end of those five minutes seemed like enough initiative to see the movement through with a corner — and, in a game that saw the United States create little luck of their own, provided one magic moment to get back into the game. — Jeff Rueter

The Reyna-Wright connection

Haji Wright was a late addition to the U.S. Nations League squad after Norwich City striker Josh Sargent was ruled out through injury. Wright’s goal in the 96th minute of extra time may have won him the permanent job for Sunday’s final. His cool finish was a rarity in a match where the U.S. were sloppy and uninspired.

Wright latched onto a clever outside-the-boot through ball from Gio Reyna, fought off a defender and finished past Jamaica goalkeeper Andre Blake with this left foot. The timing of Wright’s run had to be perfect. Reyna’s pass had to be perfect. It finally came together for the U.S. when Jamaica was beginning to tire.

Now, Berhalter will have a decision to make at the No. 9 position. Balogun was ineffective as the starter, while Wright, who scored a brace, is a player who Berhalter knows well, and trusts. – Felipe Cardenas

A sparse crowd

An early kickoff, three hours before a subsequent game involving a Mexico national team that has spent the last five years establishing AT&T Stadium as “the second home of El Tri”, didn’t set up well for a packed house in Arlington. And a packed house it was not.

The majority of the 80,000 seats of the stadium that will host a World Cup semifinal in 2026 were empty as a DJ and hype squad urged fans to make some noise in the countdown to kickoff.

The U.S. supporters’ section was full, but other sections started empty and filled in as the match went on.

Arlington sits between Dallas (42 percent Latino per the most recent U.S. Census numbers) and Fort Worth (35 percent). Folks getting out of work at 5 p.m. on Thursday in either city may have struggled to fight the combination of normal traffic, only made worse by a consistent rain and event-related bottlenecks to arrive in their seats in time for the anthems. Or perhaps Mexico fans simply preferred to get a bite to eat or enjoy the tailgate rather than watch their biggest rival’s misfortunes. Many were in the stadium for the late own goal, with the crowd making an audible “ooof” each time the massive videoboard showed a replay of Burke’s head making contrast with the ball.

The scene may repeat itself again this weekend. Canada and Trinidad and Tobago kick off their match for a place in Group A of the Copa América at 3 p.m. local time Saturday in Frisco’s Toyota Stadium. The region’s large Honduran population may opt to party in the parking lots before entering for the 6:15 kickoff against Costa Rica. – Jon Arnold

The U.S.’s bad reaction

Credit to Jamaica for being incisive from the start. Teams tend to let their guard down on throw-ins, particularly when the game is in its early seconds. Dexter Lembikisa decisively played a bounce-pass throw in toward Antonee Robinson, and the bounce off the temporary playing surface left the Fulham defender helplessly swinging a leg as his club teammate, De Cordova-Reid, got onto the ball and played a cross across the box just before the endline. Scally failed to read the play, and Leigh’s emphatic header was a just reward to a well-worked designed play.

(Note to aspiring coaches: never waste a throw-in in your attacking third.)

Seemingly, the temporary playing surface continued to play a role. Even on the Paramount+ broadcast, it was easy to detect three or four different shades of turf coloration — some a healthy green, others almost sickly yellow in hue. As a result, different zones of the field provided the ball with a very different surface: allowing the ball to zip along in some spots, and causing some awkward bounces or slow movement in others.

Of course, a team that rates itself as a regional heavyweight has to respond, especially in a venue on home soil. Jamaica continued to frustrate the United States, wisely using tactical fouls to slow the hosts before they could get into a rhythm and clogging the central channel just outside of the box to force the team into prayerfully lobbing in crosses that played to Jamaica’s height advantage. Folarin Balogun misplayed a few passes, none more than a softly weighted pass on a counter that ended up being Christian Pulisic’s unmarked run.

The United States was clearly frustrated. Timothy Weah and Weston McKennie were desperate to work into the game, frequently roaming from their usual positions hoping to create numerical advantages in any area of the field. It required nearly 47 minutes of focus, but Jamaica did well to send the U.S. into halftime with few encouraging moments to show for a staggering 81% of first-half possession. – Jeff Rueter

Jamaica still waiting for a breakthrough

During a Nations League preview event in Dallas on March 5, Jamaica’s Icelandic manager Heimir Hallgrímsson was asked when his side would break through again to the CONCACAF elite.

“In two weeks,” Hallgrímsson said with a smile.

Confidence is not an issue for Hallgrímsson. He’s accustomed to inspiring underdog nations towards memorable results, having coached Iceland to a historic win over England at the Euro 2016 and then qualifying his nation to the World Cup two years later. They were the smallest nation ever to qualify for the tournament.

Hallgrímsson sees many similarities between that Iceland team and the Jamaica side he manages today.

“Jamaica will always be a small nation compared to the powerhouses,” Hallgrímsson told The Athletic recently. “The U.S., Mexico and Canada, their federations have so much more resources, and they can give the players better facilities, better support than we can. We just need to make sure that we can do the best from what we have.”

With several key starters unavailable tonight, Jamaica did just that. Undermanned on paper, Jamaica leveled the playing field against the U.S. with disciplined defensive tactics. That was the staple of Hallgrímsson’s Iceland teams, too. It’s not pretty, but it’s effective.

“This game is so different from all other sports,” Halgrimsson said. “This game is so different because there are so few goals scored. And if you don’t concede you can win any game. So it’s a few basic things you need to have 100% correct. And I think we are slowly getting there. And then Jamaica has the individual quality to hurt anyone.”

Jamaica came close to a historic upset in Dallas, but finally cracked in extra time. For Hallgrímsson, the loss will serve as a reality check. To knock off a regional giant, 120 minutes of perfection are needed.

“Hopefully, we are also close to a trophy, hopefully it will happen now,” said Hallgrímsson. “But if not, we are at least hopeful, hopeful that we will improve from now on, but we have an opportunity, and we’re gonna try to grab that opportunity. So why not?” – Felipe Cardenas

(Photo by Stephen Nadler/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)



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