Christian Pulisic scores twice as USMNT advances to the Concacaf Nations League semifinals

ST. LOUIS — After beating Jamaica on the Caribbean island last week to head home with a 1-0 aggregate lead, the U.S. men’s national team took care of business with a 4-2 win in the second leg of the two-game, total-goals-wins Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal series to advance to next year’s semis (not to mention the 2025 Gold Cup) and end their 2024 schedule in style.

On-fire U.S. star Christian Pulisic scored two first half goals — the first a thing of beauty, the second aided by a fortuitous deflection of a Reggae Boyz defender — and Ricardo Pepi added a third before the opening 45 minutes were up in Monday’s win in front of more than 21,000 fans at a rain-soaked City Park.

Jamaica pulled one back through Demarai Gray early in the second half. Tim Weah restored the three-goal lead for coach Mauricio Pochettino’s team shortly thereafter, but Gray got his second before it was over. Still, the Americans earned a decisive 5-2 victory over the two matches.

Here are a few quick thoughts following Monday’s contest.

Play of the game

Not only did Pulisic’s opener give the U.S. some breathing room, it effectively killed off the series. It was a team effort, though. After a rare Jamaican foray into the U.S. penalty area, the home side strung together a number of quick passes to spring the counterattack. Weston McKennie eventually took possession of the ball with acres of space in the midfield. The Juventus man picked up his head and picked out AC Milan standout Pulisic with an inch-perfect pass. Pulisic’s foot met the service on the half-volley, beating Reggae Boyz keeper Andre Blake to the far post:

Turning point

The U.S. clearly took confidence from just their second ever competitive win in Jamaica. They came out flying from the opening whistle on Monday, pinging the ball all over the field with dizzying speed as the visiting players chased shadows.

And Weah nearly put the hosts in front with a spectacular strike just over three minutes in, when he played a quick give-and-go with left back Antonee “Jedi” Robinson. The ball easily beat Blake but not the near post, ricocheting off the inside of the upright and away from danger. Still, it was both a statement of intent and a sign of how the night would go, with the Americans dominating from the start of the match to the end.

Key stat

Jamaica actually managed to force U.S. keeper Matt Turner into a pair of first half saves on their only two shots of the first half, both of which Turner handled easily.

The guests were much better in the second; Turner made a brilliant diving stop moments before Gray finally got Steve McClaren’s side on the scoreboard.

But the overall numbers were as lopsided as could be: the Americans had upwards of 70 percent of the ball despite the visitors needing to chase the game from the outset. The hosts also connected on more than 90-percent of their passes, and forced the Reggae Boyz (81-percent pass accuracy) into errors with their high-pressure, including in the buildup to Pepi’s goal.

What’s next for the USMNT?

With the calendar year now complete for the USMNT, the focus shifts to 2025. While Pulisic, McKennie, Weah and most of the other European-based regulars won’t return until the full-strength squad convenes in late March for the Nations League final four, a mostly MLS-based U.S. squad will play two friendlies in January during the domestic league’s offseason.

The first of those was announced just before kickoff on Monday: a January 18 match against South American foe Venezuela at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The opponent for the other exhibition has yet to be locked in, but that game is also expected to be staged in the Sunshine State, in Orlando.

Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports. A staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him @ByDougMcIntyre.

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