Whew! The United States snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat against Jamaica in Thursday's Concacaf Nations League semifinal, rallying for a last-gasp equalizer and eventual 3-1 extra-time win.
After conceding in the opening 30 seconds, the US struggled to find a leveler for 96 minutes before an own goal with essentially the last kick of regulation. And in extra time, Haji Wright and Gio Reyna took over, combining for two goals to send the Americans through to the final against Mexico on Sunday evening (9:15 pm ET | Paramount+, UniMás).
Turner probably could have done a bit more when Jamaica took the lead just seconds in, but it's also hard to put too much blame on him when he was left to defend an open header from close range. He wasn't called on to make too many saves over the course of the 120 minutes, but did look shaky on the ball at times.
Robinson was largely at fault in Jamaica's goal. He was poor defensively on a seemingly routine throw-in, stabbing at the ball and beaten too easily, which gave his Fulham teammate Bobby Decordova-Reid time and space to deliver the cross.
In attack, Jedi wasn't his usual effective self. He got the ball often in the final third, but his service was often disappointing and didn't truly test the resolute Jamaican backline. It was a sub-par showing by his standards.
Neither center back was entirely convincing. With the US throwing numbers forward in chase of an equalizer for essentially the entire 90 minutes, they were fairly isolated and tested on the counter. Richards in particular was beaten in the air more than once - rather concerning for a player who is typically dominant in the air.
Like Richards, Robinson wasn't completely convincing, although he was the better of the two center backs. He pushed the tempo in possession at times and tried to find cracks in the Jamaican armor with the ball. Crucially, though, he got the slightest touch on a late corner kick, causing enough of a deflection to force Cory Burke into a late own goal.
With Sergiño Dest suspended for this match, Scally had an opportunity to further establish himself as the clear second-choice right back option. He didn't take it.
He was poor on Jamaica's opener in the first minute, confused by their rotations and completely losing his man in an unacceptable position. He picked up a needless yellow card minutes later, and was generally ineffective going forward. Taken off at halftime.
McKennie was more quiet, largely because he was shunted off to the right back position in the second half following Scally's substitution. He still found the occasional ball into the box and put in his typical effort, but didn't have his usual influence in an unfamiliar position.
Musah was unusually quiet in his 63-minute shift. He had a very limited effect in possession, unable to find avenues through the Jamaican defense, and too often was bypassed in midfield. Not a night he'll look back on fondly.
Nominally the more advanced of Berhalter's midfield three, Tillman showed flashes of the form he's found with PSV Eindhoven this season. He was one of the few Americans in the first half who was able to break lines on the dribble, and he did find the ball in good spots in the attacking third, but wasn't nearly clinical enough. Had one of the USMNT's best looks in the first half, but couldn't find the target.
Wearing the captain's armband, the AC Milan attacker was the Americans' only consistent bright spot in the first half, finding a couple of half chances. His decision making wasn't always perfect, particularly in the opening frame.
In the second half he was better, sliding over to the right wing position that has seen him find career-best form in Serie A this season. While his contributions may not show up on the stat sheet, it was a quietly influential night from the captain.
It was never an ideal game for Balogun. The Monaco striker is at his best when there's space, either in transition or to drop in and combine. He had neither of those things against the Reggae Boyz, and instead was generally limited to receiving the ball under pressure with his back to goal.
He had a couple of bright looks, on the rare occasions when he was able to get behind the Jamaican backline, but they were too few and far between. Taken off after 63 minutes.
Weah didn't give Scally any help on Jamaica's goal. The closest American defender, he stopped tracking back, leaving Scally outnumbered with two attackers free in the box.
He was better on the other end of the field, popping up on both flanks and asking questions with his pace, as well as hitting a handful of hopeful efforts from range.
Manager
It was a night filled with both positives and negatives for Berhalter's side.
In the positive column, all of his substitutions improved the game. Reyna and Wright are the obvious ones, but Ricardo Pepi played a key role and Tyler Adams provided some composure. His team didn't give up, despite chasing a lead for 96 minutes. That's not a bad thing.
On the other side, though, the US looked worryingly frail defensively. They also had no consistent options or ideas for breaking down Jamaica's defense without Reyna, and too often they played right into Jamaica's gameplan.
It's obviously a crucial cycle for this national team, and a massive few months with the Copa America on the horizon. Berhalter's side were seconds away from a bitter defeaet, but instead somehow squeaked by with a win. Take from that what you will.
Substitutes
Reyna completely changed the game for the USMNT. On at halftime, he immediately began to find ways through Jamaica's packed defense, creating four chances and consistently getting the ball to the feet of the strikers in front of him.
Reyna got the assist for both of Wright's goals, both with incisive through balls. The first, though, was an absolutely world-class moment of quality, riding a pair of challenges before somehow having the vision to split the defense with an outside-of-the-foot reverse pass, perfectly in stride for Wright to tuck home.
Adams made his first USMNT appearance since the 2022 World Cup after a lengthy battle with injury, certainly a positive for the US. He was fine on the pitch, cycling possession and cleaning up at the back, and he pumped his share of long balls into the box as his team chased an equalizer. His biggest impact was settling the team down and showing some veteran leadership.
In a cross-it-off-your-bingo-card type moment, Adams was himself substituted off in extra time, seemingly a call by the coaching staff to limit his minutes as he returns to full fitness. The former New York Red Bulls homegrown clearly wasn't happy coming off the pitch, though.
Wright has been absolutely red-hot for Coventry in the EFL Championship and didn't cool off on the international stage. Immediately more effective in front of goal than Balogun, he gave the Jamaican backline a different type of challenge and set up the corner kick that lead to the equalizer with an enticing cross.
Wright grabbed the winner in extra time with a calm, composed finish, and made it a brace later, going through the spin cycle to beat the defender before a curling finish to the far post with his less-favored right foot. He took his chance and ran with it after being called in late as an injury replacement for Josh Sargent.
The former FC Dallas striker won't grab any of the headlines, but put in a quietly solid performance off the bench. He occupied the backline underneath and created space for Wright to run in behind, and had some good moments in combination. As the game opened up, he stretched the field with some smart runs in behind and generally had a positive impact.
Aaronson was his typical bundle of energy off the bench, and he certainly raised the collective vivacity once he came on. When the situation called for quality and composure in the final third, though, he didn't really show it. The on-loan Union Berlin attacker snatched at a couple of chances, and had one particularly egregious moment where he opted not to jump on an uncontested ball in the box and instead appealed to the referee for a handball. He's had much better outings before and will certainly have them in the future.
The Real Betis No. 6 came on for the final 20 minutes and helped close things down with the lead already secured. He was generally composed on the ball, but had a few moments where he was beaten too easily in midfield.
