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Jamaica beats Mexico in Gold Cup semifinal, will play U.S. in championship at Levi’s Stadium.
One deceptive free kick that curled wickedly over a five-man wall changed the complexion of the Gold Cup final at Levi’s Stadium.
Kemar Lawrence’s stunning 24-yard shot Sunday night sent Jamaica to a 1-0 victory over heavily favored Mexico, a triumph that marks one of the Reggae Boyz’s greatest in history. Jamaica advanced to the final Wednesday night against the United States, which defeated Costa Rica 2-0 on Saturday in the other semifinal game.
Jamaica spoiled a highly anticipated U.S.Mexico showdown that would have matched the powers of the Central and North American and Caribbean region known as CONCACAF. The Gold Cup that is held every two years is the region’s main tournament, similar to the European Championship.
Mexico, which leads CONCACAF 2018 World Cup qualifying, was expected to defend its Gold Cup title despite fielding a B team during the tournament. It had never lost to Jamaica in Gold Cup play, defeating the Reggae Boyz 3-1 in the 2015 final.
El Tri sat its stars after they competed earlier this summer in the Confederations Cup in Russia.
While teams were allowed to make up to six substitutions for the knockout rounds, El Tri coach Juan Carlos Osorio said he was blocked by Mexico’s clubs.
Although Jamaica failed to advance in World Cup qualifying, it has looked strong throughout the Gold Cup, which, in effect, is its biggest event of the year. Jamaica goalkeeper Andre Blake frustrated the Mexicans by shutting them out in two games, which included a 0-0 draw in group play.
It appeared the semifinal Sunday was headed to penalty kicks with Blake making some spectacular stops among his seven saves. Blake made two brilliant saves in succession in the 12th minute, diving twice to stop close-range chances by Jesus Duenas and Erick Torres, the Houston Dynamo star and the only player on the current roster from outside Mexico’s domestic leagues.
Instead, Michael Binns drew the foul on Mexico’s Hugo Ayala to set up Lawrence’s shot that left Mexican keeper Jesus Corona flat-footed. It was the New York Red Bulls fullback’s first international goal in three years.
Now the U.S. team will begin training today in San Jose, looking to win the Gold Cup for the first time since 2013. A victory would make Bruce Arena the first coach to win three tournament titles. Arena, the former L.A. Galaxy boss, is unbeaten in 13 games since replacing the fired Juergen Klinsmann in November.
Arena has used a mix of young players and veterans as the United States marches toward qualifying for the World Cup final in Russia next summer. With World Cup qualifying games in September, the Gold Cup has been a time of experimentation for the Americans.
But on Wednesday they will be trying for their sixth title since the inaugural Gold Cup in 1991. Mexico has won it seven times and Canada once.
Jamaica, meanwhile, has reached the semifinals four times and now the past two finals.
The crowd was dominated by Mexico’s vast Southern California fan base, but the Rose Bowl was less than half-full with just 42,393 fans. The absence of Chicharito Hernandez and other top Mexican stars, combined with El Tri’s unattractive performances in the Gold Cup to date, apparently kept many of their usual faithful at home.