USA to continue formidable effort
Jamaica face a difficult game against the United States in their Gold Cup semi-final. Can they cause an upset or will it be the US singing in Nashville? Have a read of our preview here:
Jamaica functional not flashy
If you are of a certain age you will remember the Jamaica side of the 1998 World Cup that contained a few established Premier League stars. The likes of Robbie Earle, Frank Sinclair, Ricardo Gardner, Theodore Whitmore and Paul Hall were all present and they gave their fans something to cheer when they beat Japan in the final group match.
Now their modern side are on the cusp of a historic Gold Cup Final appearance after beating Panama in the quarter-finals. Getting past the US would be a huge achievement but even getting this far is pretty good going.
This Jamaican squad is functional but not hugely blessed with individual talent. They have players who will be familiar to fans of English football with Michael Hector currently on the books of Sheffield Wednesday but in terms of world class talent, they are woefully short.
The quarter-final win against Panama was evenly fought with Jamaica conceding the lions share of possession but the 1-0 win was enough to see them through
USA staving off decline
The USA national side have had some pretty lean pickings of late but they breezed through their group with three straight wins. Not only that, they didn’t concede a single goal either which just adds further to their ‘favourites’ tag.
The US know that they have a long way to go before catching up with some of the better sides but, right now, they are trying to get back to the top of the sport and dominating proceedings in the Gold Cup is a perfect way to start.
Christian Pulisic-ing the strings
In Christian Pulisic the US have a very talented midfielder and his presence in the team is a huge boost to the team. The Chelsea man is comfortable on the ball and can pick out passes to the likes of Paul Arriola that has seen them thrive during this tournament. He will play a big part in the semi-final and the future success of this nation.
Jamaica vs USA betting tip
This is a game that could be a very interesting watch and although the US are favourites Jamaica will work hard to prevent them from asserting their dominance. The US have a formidable defence that is yet to concede a goal so backing the USA to win to nil at odds of 6/5 is excellent value.
