World Cup Qualifiers: United States vs. Jamaica Preview, Odds, Prediction

The United States men’s soccer team faces Jamaica in tonight’s World Cup qualifiers. The Yankees will clash the Reggae Boyz at Q2 Stadium in Texas. This is a very important game for both sides. The USA needs three points to stay in the zone that leads directly to Qatar, while on the other side, Jamaica can’t afford to lose because they might end the qualifiers after just four rounds. At the moment, they are hammered to the bottom with only one point in three contests.

Preview

USA (-330) beat Jamaica recently, but the Gold Cup is something completely different compared to the World Cup qualifiers. The Yanks are without a loss for the last 12 matches, winning 10 (two after OTs and penalties) and two draws.

What’s noticeable in their results is the fact that they often kept their net intact. It happened eight times during these 12 matches, and even though Berhalter’s side played mostly against the teams from the CONCACAF region, that achievement still deserves to be respected.

America didn’t lose at home since September 2019, and that is yet another morale-boosting fact. This team developed a strong connection with the fans, and it seems that its players slowly rose to the level of popularity of their NFL or NBA colleagues.

Jamaica (+800) is without a victory in the last five games, and has just two triumphs over the previous 10 matches. Yet, we need to add that the majority of their contests took place on the road.

The Football Association had an ambitious plan to call up the players with Jamaican origins, born outside the country. There were some big names involved in this project – Michail Antonio, Andre Gray, are just a few – but so far, it didn’t provide some notable results.

The Reggae Boyz opened the qualifiers poorly, losing two opening games, vs. Mexico on the road, 2-1, and Panama at home, 0-3, (which was a big shocker). After that, they would play 1-1 on the road in Costa Rica.

Latest News

Two of the essential players in the midfield, Christian Pulisic, and Giovanni Reyna, are out for this one due to an injury. John Brooks is also injured.

Antonio withdrew from the Jamaican squad, which is a big morale-killer for the Boyz.

Head to Head Games

These teams played twice this year. The first game was a friendly international in March, and the Yanks convincingly won, 4-1.

The second was in the Gold Cup quarterfinals, with the Americans reaching another victory, 1-0. Matthew Hoppe scored seven minutes before the final whistle.

Prediction

Even though Pulisic and Reyna are out, the USA should win this match without any problems. Jamaica is in poor form, and additionally, they won’t have Antonio, who is the only one able to create some trouble for the American defense. The odds on US’s plain win are not that high, -330, but if we bet on their triumph with a -1.5 handicap, the profits are significantly higher, -105. They can’t miss a chance like this to earn three points and make a big step towards the World Cup.

Pick: USA to win -330
           USA to Win -1.5 -105