Gold Cup Quarterfinals: USA vs. Jamaica Betting Preview, Odds, Prediction

The US national team faces Jamaica in the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup. Even though this is arguably the derby of the round, the Americans come in as heavy favorites, having much better individuals and better results in the recent past. Gregg Berhalter‘s side won its group, while on the other side, Jamaica finished second in assembly behind Costa Rica. The Boyz are a tough matchup for any opponent due to their tough and physical play, and the US side has to put a maximum effort in order to take them down. 

Preview

USA (-250) has only one loss in the past 10 games, and that was in May against Switzerland in a friendly international, 2-1. After that, the Yanks earned six straight wins, keeping their net intact on four occasions during that stretch.

In the group stage, they defeated Haiti, 1-0, then rolled over Martinique 6-1, before beating their toughest rival so far, Canada, 1-0. In that match, the Americans took the lead in the first minute, holding onto it until the end and sowing that they have a solid defense and tactical knowledge when having to protect the result. 

We need to say that this isn’t their best team, with several big-time players from the European continent missing.

Jamaica (+600) won the opening two games in their group, against Suriname and Guadeloupe, before losing the last one against Costa Rica with a minimal result, 1-0. Though, we’ve seen some of the starters skipping that event.

In general, even with some of their best players out against Costa Rica, Jamaica played well, facing just one shot on target and unfortunately conceding from that one attempt. This is the team in the making, and expect to see the Boyz much better in the upcoming years because of their strategy to add players from Europe with Jamaican roots. 

By the way, seven of their previous ten games saw a moderate efficiency, meaning two or three goals. 

Latest News

Paul Arriola is out due to hamstring tightness, and it seems that he will be the only player unavailable for this match 

All the Jamaican players will be available for tonight’s game. 

Head to Head Games

The US team and Jamaica played in March this year. It was a friendly international game, and the US side won easily, 4-1. Dest, Aaronson, and Lletget, with two goals, were the scorers for the hosts, while Lowe added one for the Jamaican side. 

In the last five games, the US team posted four wins, and Jamaica just one. The last time these two sides met at the Gold Cup was in the 2019 semis, and the USA won 2-1.

Prediction

We are all in on the US win here, because we strongly believe that the Yanks have a better team. We are not suggesting that their win will be a routine one, but anything else than a triumph here would be a sensation. Expect to see a moderate efficiency because Jamaica plays tough, and the US team isn’t keen on attacking all the time, especially in the situation where they need a positive result. 

Pick: USA wins -250

 

Here you have the MLS Pick.