The US Men’s Soccer team continued in the World Cup qualifying tournament just three days after a signature 2-0 win over Mexico in Cincinnati. The US team followed that win with a 1-1 tie on the road against Jamaica. The US played poorly but still managed to hang on for the draw.
The US entered the game on top of the standings for qualifying. Following the draw, coupled with Canada’s win over Mexico, the US is now second in the current qualifying standings to the Canadians.
The Americans are still in an excellent position to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, with only six games left in the qualifying round. The top three finishers in the standings will automatically make the tournament. The fourth-place finisher will go into a two-game series against another international challenger for a World Cup spot.
The US Men’s Soccer Team had an opportunity to end their 2021 season on an incredibly high note and in first place if they could have secured a victory on the road in Kingston, Jamaica. Last month the US beat Jamaica 2-0 in Austin, TX, leading many to expect another American win. Instead, the US left Jamaica thankful for the draw as they nearly ended up losing if not for a controversial call.
With six minutes left in regulation, the referee took a Jamaican goal off the board when he ruled that Jamaica’s goal scorer fouled US defender Walker Zimmerman. Upon reviews, the commentators and fans were confused about where the foul occurred and thought the goal should have counted.
A non-call by the referee also went against Jamaica when a cross into the box in the first half seemed to hit the arm of US defender Chris Richards. However, the referee did not grant Jamaica the penalty shot attempt. The commentators were split on if it should have been called.
The Americans scored first when Tim Weah finished off a solo run through the left side of the defense with a goal 11 minutes into the game. The Americans had very few quality chances to score after this.
Just 11 minutes later, Jamaica drew even. Michail Antonio scored an impressive long-range attempt that easily beat US goalkeeper Zack Steffen. In the 53rd minute, Jamaica’s Bobby Reid missed a golden opportunity to go ahead when his close-range attempt less than six yards away from the goal was unsuccessful.
The Jamaicans could feel slighted with the many close calls that went against them in the game. They desperately needed a win to make up ground in the standings and had better chances to score all game. Instead, following the draw, Jamaica sits at sixth place in the qualifying standings, seven points away from the fourth-place spot.
The next round of qualifying games will be in January. The US Men’s Soccer will play home games against El Salvador and Honduras and go on the road to play Canada.
