Jamaica United States 1-1 ( Jermaine Beckford goal v USMNT)
Jamaica vs USA 1-2 ( Brad Evans goal vs Jamaica 90+2′)
Final score and result:- Jamaica vs USA 1-2 ( Beckford/ Altidore, Evans)
Independence Park, Kingston- 7 June, 2013- CONCACAF World Cup qualifying- 7/6/13- Friday
Brad Evans’ dramatic stoppage time winner gives the MNT a crucial 2-1 win over Jamaica in Kingston in their Hexagonal clash
Jamaica: Donovan Ricketts; O'Brian Woodbine, Adrian Mariappa, Daniel Gordon, Alvas Powell; Marvin Elliot, Rodolph Austin; Garath McCleary, Jermaine Hue, Jermaine Johnson; Ryan Johnson
United States: Tim Howard; Brad Evans, Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler, DaMarcus Beasley; Jermaine Jones, Michael Bradley; Graham Zusi, Clint Dempsey, Fabian Johnson; Jozy Altidore
United States men's national team fans will remember 2012's loss to Jamaica forever. Even if they take nine points from the next three matches and beat Mexico this September, putting them in position to easily qualify for the World Cup, no one will forget how difficult the road to the final qualifying round was.
Start Time: 9:20 p.m. ET
Location: Kingston, Jamaica
Venue: Independence Park
Independence Park doesn't sound like a particularly intimidating venue. For CONCACAF nerds, it sounds like a generic name for any Caribbean country's home ground. However, in this case USA fans know Jamaica's home ground by a nickname that says everything: The Office. It's not called that because Jim is going to pull a delightful prank on Dwight; rather, it's because that's where Jamaica goes to work.
Over the years, that work has been effective for the Reggae Boyz. The USMNT has never won in Kingston, even in qualifying cycles where Jamaica was nowhere near as strong as today (note: Jamaica's one and only World Cup appearance was in 1998). While the history isn't as daunting as a trip to the Azteca - lots of road draws, which still count as a successful trip in CONCACAF - the fact is that more than most teams, Jamaica is at their best at home.
The second half of that September 7 match marked the worst 45 minutes of soccer played by the USMNT under Jürgen Klinsmann. Not only did they give up a second half winner, but they never looked like challenging Jamaica. Despite the superior pedigree of their players, the United States was utterly dominated in midfield and appeared to have no capacity to build a coherent attack.
There's no shame in any away loss in the Hex, but the United States will be expected to put in a much more competent performance against Jamaica on Friday, in their second trip to the island during this qualifying cycle. The U.S. have two home games coming up and will be in good shape going forward no matter what if they win those games, but a draw or win in Kingston would go a long way towards helping them punch their ticket to Brazil.
In Jamaica's case, nothing less than a win constitutes a good result. In a vacuum, a draw against the United States isn't the end of the world, but they're coming off a draw against Panama and a loss to Mexico at home. Any more dropped points at home will all but put them out of the running to secure a World Cup place. They won't be mathematically finished if they fail to win on Friday, but they will be put into a position where they need road wins.
