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An early second half goal from Herculez Gomez was enough to secure victory over Jamaica as the US national team won 1-0 in front of a sold out crowd of 23,884 at Columbus Crew Stadium on Tuesday night.
It took the US 55 minutes to break the deadlock in a game that could’ve seen Jurgen Klinsmann’s side run away with the lead after hitting the woodwork three times and out-shooting the Jamaicans by 10 attempts to 0.
The second half started a little brighter for the “Reggae Boyz” who decided not to sit back and absorb pressure as they had done throughout the first 45 minutes, but a sloppy tackle on forward Clint Dempsey gave the US a free kick about 30 yards from goal.
Gomez was able to lift his shot up and over the wall and beyond the despairing dive of Jamaican `keeper Dwayne Miller who really should’ve stopped the ball from nestling in the back of his goal.
The US took their foot of the pedal after the goal and allowed Jamaica the chance to get back into the game, however, the Jamaicans failed to take advantage, lacking any real offensive threat the team never troubled US `keeper Tim Howard.
After last weeks loss in the reverse fixture in Kingston, Jamaica, tonight’s win puts the US team firmly back in the hunt for qualification and level on points with both Jamaica and Guatemala.
U-S-A! U-S-A! ;)
From the New York Times’ writeup, a lot of praise for Columbus and its wonderful fans:
That failure to break through early only added to the taut feeling at Crew Stadium, a charming site with a view of the downtown skyline rising above the scoreboard at one end of the field. The support of the home crowds has often been an issue for the United States when it plays qualifiers — most notably against Latin American countries — but Columbus has generally been a refuge. The mood here was particularly dizzying Tuesday, as the stands were awash in red, white and blue and each of the 23,881 fans received a miniature American flag. To honor the memory of those who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the crowd stood and cheered from the 9th minute through the 11th minute, and three firefighters from New York City took part in the pregame coin toss after addressing the American players on Monday night.
All of it contributed to the frenzy that never ebbed as the United States buzzed around the field early on. While many of the players reveled in the atmosphere — “There’s no bigger home-field advantage in America than there is here,” goalkeeper Tim Howard said — Klinsmann anxiously awaited a breakthrough.
Hopefully the great support always us to get more USMNT games, especially the usual Mexico qualifier….
I had front row seats in the temporary north bleachers next to Sam’s Army. Phenomenal vantagepoint, unbelievable atmosphere, and amazing experience. If you’ve never experienced soccer, but want to ‘give it a look-see’, there is nothing that can compare to being at a US World Cup Qualifier in Columbus.
U-S-A!!!!
Also from the NYT:
Columbus, Ohio: I have never given a rating to a venue or a crowd, but Tuesday’s is worth noting. On Sept. 11 and with the U.S. team needing a win, Columbus put together maybe the best crowd ever for the national team. The atmosphere was electric and it clearly gave the team a boost of energy. Rating: 10
http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/12/player-ratings-u-s-1-vs-jamaica-0/