WASHINGTON — Coach Bob Bradley was beleaguered and star Landon Donovan benched, the U.S. soccer team scrutinized and starting striker Jozy Altidore injured. The script was all but written for a Gold Cup collapse, that is, until the Americans responded with a 2-0 quarterfinals win over red-hot Jamaica yesterday at RFK Stadium.
Jermaine Jones scored his first goal for the United States in the 49th minute and Clint Dempsey scored in the 80th.
Dempsey and Donovan arrived early yesterday morning after attending the Saturday weddings of their respective sisters. Donovan, who arrived from California, started the game on the bench, and it was Dempsey, who came from Texas, who essentially ended it with a cool strike.
“I just wanted to reward the U.S., pay back the team for letting me go to my sister’s wedding, come out with a good performance and not let the travel be an excuse [but] motivation to come out and fight harder,” said Dempsey, who arrived in D.C. at 2 a.m., five hours before Donovan.
“I was able to chip in and help the team win,” Dempsey said. “[Bradley] asked me how are you feeling, and I said, ‘I’m ready to go,’ because I was disappointed in my performance against Guadeloupe. I wasn’t able to finish the chances I got, and I wanted to make sure I came out and did whatever I could to help the team win and I was able to get the goal that sealed it.”
Dempsey, like the U.S. squad, had struggled through the group stage to put Bradley under fire. The Americans used a 4-5-1 formation to try to hold possession and stall Jamaica’s quick counter, but saw Altidore limp off in the 12th minute, replaced by Juan Agudelo.
The United States carried play, and Jones ran onto a loose ball just outside the box, and his right-footed volley deflected off a defender and past goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts. Jones, who grew up in Germany as the son of a U.S. serviceman and German mother, saluted in celebration.
“The score with your national team is always special and even moreso that it was a very important goal for us,” Jones said. “Hopefully more will come. It was my way of giving my father a Father’s Day gift, a sign of respect.”
The United States went up a man after Jones was taken down from behind by Jamaica’s Jermaine Taylor in the 67th minute. After Taylor received the red card, Dempsey took a cross from Agudelo and rounded Ricketts to put the United States into a semifinal date in Houston on Wednesday. There, the United States will face Panama, which ousted El Salvador last night in a shootout. U.S. keeper Tim Howard needed just two saves for the clean sheet. Donovan made a 25-minute cameo to help close out the win.
