US Soccer: Confident Jamaica a challenge
World Cup berth is U.S. team’s main objective
SAN JOSE >> Just about everyone wanted the United States to face Mexico in what would have been a tantalizing CONCACAF Gold Cup final Wednesday evening at Levi’s Stadium.
But don’t put Bruce Arena in that cheering section.
“I could care less who we are playing in the final,” the American coach said Monday.
Turning to a Washington Post reporter, Arena added, “We could be playing against your team in Fairfax, Virginia, for all I care.”
The United States presumably will face stiffer competition than a Virginian youth team against streaking Jamaica, which advanced past heavily favored Mexico, 1-0, on a late goal Sunday night at the Rose Bowl.
The Americans own a 14-2-8 overall record against Jamaica — 11-1-3 in games played in the United States. But the Reggae Boyz scored a 2-1 victory over the United States in the 2015 Gold Cup semifinals.
Arena, who is 5-0-5 against the island country, expects a to face a motivated team that has allowed but two goals in five games behind Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Andre Blake.
The past three weeks have had more significance to Arena and his staff than leading the United States to a record 10th Gold Cup final. Held every two years, the Gold Cup is the championship for CONCACAF, the soccer confederation for the North and Central American and Caribbean region. Arena is trying to become the first coach to win the crown three times.
But those bragging rights are shadowed by the Americans’ effort to earn one of three regional berths to advance to the 2018 World Cup in Russia. They have four games left in the final qualifying round while sitting third behind Mexico and Costa Rica. The games are scheduled for September and October.
The former Los Angeles Galaxy coach used the maximum number of changes allowed throughout the three-week Gold Cup, which has been as much of an audition as a competition for U.S. players. He has started 27 of the 29 players on the roster at least once to
give almost everyone a chance.
The team’s play has jelled since Arena’s first World Cup qualifier in March, where the United States demolished Honduras, 6-0. The Americans are 8-0-5 under Arena in his second tenure leading the national team.
“We know what we’re about,” he said.
Win or lose Wednesday, Arena declared the Gold Cup tournament a success.
“But you guys don’t write good things when we win let alone when we lose,” he said in a playful moment with reporters. “I don’t think it will sound good publicly but I think we’ve made a lot of progress this year.”
Forward march.