CONCACAF Gold Cup: USA vs Jamaica Odds
2021 Champions Kick Off Title Defense
Plenty of Changes in USA Squad
The USA clinched back-to-back CONCACAF Nations League titles last Sunday vs. Canada. Now, they’ll also go for back-to-back trophies in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The USMNT kick off their title defense in Chicago vs. Jamaica on Saturday night. Interim coach B.J. Callaghan has named a much-changed roster for the Gold Cup, with only five holdovers from the Nations League. Jamaica made it to the quarterfinals in 2021 and have progressed out of their group in their last four appearances. With that in mind, we’ll take a look at the USA vs Jamaica odds.
CONCACAF Gold Cup
USA vs Jamaica
Date & Time:
Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, USA
Head-to-Head
The USA have won four of their last five matches vs. Jamaica. However, the last meeting, a 2021 World Cup qualifier, finished 1-1 in Kingston. Notably, the USA have defeated Jamaica in each of the last three CONCACAF Gold Cups. In the 2021 quarterfinal, Matthew Hoppe scored the game’s only goal as the USA advanced.
In 2019’s semifinal, Christian Pulisic scored a double in a 3-1 win for the USA. The USMNT also beat Jamaica 2-1 in the 2017 Gold Cup final. Jamaica do have two wins on American soil over the past decade, though. Here, the Gold Cup odds price hosts USA as favorites.
Plenty of Opportunities for USA Fringe Players
- Next Match: Jun. 28 vs. TBD
A cursory look at the USA’s Gold Cup squad is enough to know that B.J. Callaghan isn’t bringing anywhere close to his strongest side to the tournament. There’s no Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna, Antonee Robinson, Tim Weah or Yunus Musah. In fact, there are only five players on the Gold Cup roster from the Nations League roster. Two are goalkeepers, Matt Turner and Sean Johnson. The other three are Miles Robinson, Alan Soñora and Alejandro Zendejas.
Turner and Robinson are the only players that played in the Nations League finals, so that means plenty of opportunities for fringe players. Still, seven players on the Gold Cup roster were on the Qatar 2022 World Cup squad. That includes Turner, Johnson, Cristian Roldan, Aaron Long, Jordan Morris, DeAndre Yedlin and Jesus Ferreira. Ferreira was the leading scorer in the CONCACAF Nations League A group stage, with four goals.
Even with an experimental roster, the USA vs Jamaica odds price hosts USA as favorites for Saturday’s match. Notably, the USMNT’s midfield is the unit with the least experience. Only one midfielder named to the roster, Roldan, has more than 10 appearances for the national team. Comparatively, the defense has quite a bit of experience, with four players with above 20 caps.
Jamaica Stumble in Gold Cup Lead Up
- Next Match: Jun. 28 vs. Trinidad & Tobago
Jamaica’s last win was over a year ago, in the CONCACAF Nations League vs. Suriname. Since then, the Reggae Boyz have put together a record of five draws and five losses. As one of the most out-of-form 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup teams, this is a tough match for Jamaica to start with. Currently, Jamaica’s final roster is also yet to be announced. They released a preliminary 50-man roster with a bunch of players based in Europe. However, it’s unclear how many Premier League-based players, if any, will be on the team.
The USA opted to let most of their Europe-based stars skip the Gold Cup and start preseason with their respective clubs. Perhaps Jamaica will do the same with the likes of Ethan Pinnock, Demarai Gray, Leon Bailey, Michail Antonio and Bobby Reid. Shamar Nicholson and Cory Burke were in the Jamaica squad for recent friendlies vs. Jordan and Qatar and could form the bulk of the attack.
In those friendlies, though, Jamaica fell to both teams, 2-1. Jamaica’s best results of the last year are two draws vs. Mexico. Otherwise, there’s been nothing to write home about. Coach Heimir Hallgrímsson took over last September and is still looking for his first win.
Match Analysis and Odds
As the tournament-opener and only match on Saturday, this match presents an intriguing opportunity for betting. Currently, the USA vs Jamaica odds price the USMNT as -155 ATS and moneyline favorites. Should the USA win, it’d mark their fourth straight Gold Cup with a win over Jamaica.
Meanwhile, Jamaica +0.5 sits at +125 odds as the Reggae Boyz look to avoid defeat vs. the USA for a second straight meeting. Jamaica last defeated the USA in a Gold Cup match in 2015 and are +375 underdogs. Although they’ve struggled recently, Jamaica have scored in their last three games.
The USA are on a five-match scoring streak of their own and on a six-game unbeaten run. A draw displays +290 odds for Saturday’s Group A opener. The last three head-to-head matchups between the USA and Jamaica have finished with two or fewer goals. Here, under 2.5 goals come in at -120 odds.
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