Nations League Semifinal: USA vs Jamaica Odds
Strong USA Squad Called Up
Showdown in Arlington
The last time the US Men’s National team took on Jamaica, the USA needed a late equalizer just to preserve a draw. Jamaica are a team on the rise and they’ve added plenty of players born in the U.K. to their ranks in the last few years. As a result, Thursday’s CONCACAF Nations League Semifinal between the USA and Jamaica should be an intriguing one. By virtue of qualifying for the Semis, both sides will participate in this Summer’s Copa America. Still, both sides will be playing for a spot in Sunday’s final vs. Mexico or Panama. We’ll cover the USA vs Jamaica odds ahead of Thursday’s match.
USA vs Jamaica
Date, Time:
Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX, USA
USA vs Jamaica Head-to-Head
When the USA took on Jamaica in their group stage opener at the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the Reggae Boyz were on the front foot. Damion Lowe scored a header in the 13th minute to put Jamaica ahead and easily could have doubled their lead. Brandon Vazquez came on as a substitute and scored a late equalizer in a 1-1 draw in Chicago. The last two meetings have finished all square at one but the USA are on a six game unbeaten streak vs. Jamaica. Those interested in betting on the USA vs Jamaica odds should note Jamaica have only beaten the US three times in 32 previous matchups.
USA Looking to Bounce Back From Losses
On the surface, the USA are on a two game losing streak but that doesn’t exactly tell the whole story. In January, the USA took on Slovenia in a one-off friendly and fell 1-0. It would be hard to argue that this was even the USA’s B-team as a bunch of players made their debut and no Europe-based players were on the roster. On the contrary, almost all of the players that Gregg Berhalter called up to the CONCACAF Nations League Semifinal play in Europe.
The USA also lost their last competitive match as they fell 2-1 at Trinidad and Tobago. It was their first loss in their last 12 CONCACAF Nations League games. Antonee Robinson scored for a second straight game in the 25th minute to put the USA ahead. However, Sergiño Dest received his second yellow card just 39 minutes into the second leg of the Nations League Quarter-final. The USMNT played with ten men for more than a half and conceded twice but managed a 4-2 aggregate victory.
Notably, Midfielder Tyler Adams is back in action after a long injury layoff. Regulars like Robinson, Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, Yunus Musah are all in the side. Berhalter has a few options up top including Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright. Josh Sargent was in great form for Norwich City but had to pull out of the squad due to an injury, along with Luca de la Torre.
Jamaica Missing Key Players
The Jamaica Football Federation had no problems enforcing their rules on one of their best players. Leon Bailey allegedly broke curfew at the last Jamaica camp and the Aston Villa winger, who’s arguably having the best season of his career, won’t be playing on Thursday. Some other Premier League players are out due to injury. Defenders Amari’i Bell and Ethan Pinnock are nursing hamstring and ankle injuries, respectively.
Jamaica have a talented roster otherwise, with players like Andre Blake, Damion Lowe, Bobby Decordova-Reid, Shamar Nicholson, Michail Antonio and Demarai Gray. However, Nicholson and Gray are out suspended for Thursday’s match. Nicholson scored three of the the four goals the Reggae Boyz scored vs. Canada over two legs in the Quarter-Final. After falling 2-1 at home in the first leg, Jamaica won 3-2 in Toronto to advance on away goals.
The Reggae Boyz finished in first place in the CONCACAF standings for Nations League A, Group B. They’ll miss all of Bailey, Nicholson and Gray here. Nicholson and Gray have scored eight of Jamaica’s 14 goals at the 2023-24 Nations League. With so many key players out, Jamaica could be on the back foot here.
USA vs Jamaica Match Analysis & Odds
While a few Jamaica players are out, Sergiño Dest is suspended for the USA. If Jamaica were at full strength they could absolutely give the USA a run for their money. With no fewer than four regular starters out, Jamaica don’t have the same talent or depth as the USA. So, it’s no surprise that the USA vs Jamaica odds list the hosts as -260 favorites.
The last time the US took on Jamaica, the scenario was reversed. For the Gold Cup, the USMNT didn’t call up a bunch of their players based in Europe, while Jamaica were at full strength. The USA still managed a draw and they should be able to get the job done in front of their home fans in Dallas.
Jamaica come in as +700 underdogs here, while bettors can back USA -1 at -130 and Jamaica +1 at even odds. A draw (+360) would mean 30 minutes of extra time and the USA have more depth to get over the line. Berhalter doesn’t have room in the starting XI for all of the USA’s talented attackers and Brenden Aaronson and Gio Reyna could be interesting options off the bench if they don’t start. Under 2.5 goals are priced at -130 soccer betting odds for this one and the last four matchups have finished with three goals or fewer.
