The United States has been the better team so far in their Gold Cup quarterfinal against Jamaica, but with a lucky bounce or a composed shot here or there, the Reggae Boyz could very easily be ahead. Instead, Luton Shelton has been disappointing while goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts has been very good, and as a result the game is tied up at a score of 0-0 after 45 minutes.
USA Vs. Jamaica, 2011 Gold Cup Quarterfinals: USMNT, Reggae Boyz Tied At Halftime
Jamaica had the best chance of the game in the 4th minute when Ryan Johnson had a close-range shot saved by Tim Howard, then Shelton skied the rebound over the crossbar. It was an easy empty net chance, and an absolutely terrible miss. Shelton had another awful miss in the 30th minute, somehow failing to capitalize when Clarence Goodson fell down in the box, giving him a free shot at Howard that he wasn't able to take.
The game changed significantly in the 9th minute when Jozy Altidore went down with a hamstring injury and had to be substituted out. Chris Wondolowski is the closest thing to a like for like player that the USMNT has, but with him out of the 18 man squad, Juan Agudelo had to take Altidore's place. The youngster has played fine so far, but his skill set is obviously suited to something different than the United States' current 4-2-3-1 setup.
The USMNT has had numerous chances, all just missing or getting saved by Ricketts. It appears that a goal is coming soon for them, but Jamaica has occasionally looked dangerous on the counter-attack and they could nick a goal at any time as well.
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