The USA opens its two-game series against Jamaica in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals with the first leg on Thursday night in Kingston, its first competitive match under new head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
At stake is a place in the Concacaf Nations League final four next March at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles, The USA is three-time defending champion, the only winner of the tournament Concacaf launched in 2021, but talk of a title defense is getting ahead of things.
• ‘Always to improve ourselves.’ After the debacle in Guadalajara, a 2-0 loss to Mexico in the USA’s last outing, its first road game under Pochettino, he wants to see how his players react.
“The challenge is always to improve ourselves,” Pochettino said on Wednesday night after the team arrived in Kingston. “That is the main challenge. Of course, in Kingston it’s going to be a tough game. The conditions, for sure, will be different than the conditions we will find after in St. Louis.”
• ‘Match them in motivation.’ The poor effort his new players put in against Mexico is clearly on Pochettino’s mind.
“To be a solid team that can challenge Jamaica in Kingston will be a massive step,” he said. “Improving our mentality and the capacity to be all together, to fight together, to match them in motivation, after Mexico, is the main thing we need to improve.”
USA vs. Jamaica (competitive matches):
Home: 11 wins, 1 loss, 3 ties
Away: 1 win, 1 loss, 5 ties
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