USA vs Jamaica prediction: NORTH & CENTRAL AMERICA: Gold Cup betting tips on match 2023-06-24 01:30.
The 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup gets underway in Chicago’s Soldier Field as the USA launch their defence of the trophy they won back in the 2021 edition. With club pre-season taking precedence for many of the USA’s biggest stars, the roster named by acting boss B.J. Callaghan is a far cry from that which won the CONCACAF Nations League earlier this month.
Defeating both Mexico and Canada by a combined 5-0 scoreline to lift a major trophy was the perfect way to begin a managerial tenure, yet Callaghan is now without the services of big hitters Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, and Folarin Balogun amongst other household names. Instead, he’ll be relying on a squad in which 16 of the 23 representatives ply their trade in the MLS, which could arguably be an advantage given their co-host nation status.
Providing the opposition will be the Reggae Boyz of Jamaica, a side brimming with impressive English-born talent, yet much like the country of birth of many of their stars, raw talent has yet to yield silverware. No fewer than 12 of Jamaica’s 23-man squad play for English clubs and with the likes of Aston Villa’s Leon Bailey and West Ham’s Michail Antonio included, the sky really is the limit if they can gel together.
Despite their embarrassment of riches in terms of quality on paper, that’s not where football matches get decided, as Jamaica have found to their detriment having won just once across the past 14 months (W1, D6, L6). It is perhaps by good fortune that they play the USA first then, as it gives them a chance to get a feel for the tournament ahead of games against Trinidad & Tobago, and Saint Kitts and Nevis, two sides widely fancied to face a group stage elimination.
Key battle: Arsenal and USA goalkeeper Matt Turner picked up the golden glove en route to glory in the 2021 edition, and he is one of just five players to serve double duty across the Nations League and this Gold Cup. He will be trying to keep out the likes of Birmingham-born Everton and Jamaica forward Demarai Gray, who is set to make his Reggae Boyz debut after helping his club side to Premier League safety with four goals.
Hot stat: The USA are unbeaten in ten of their 15 historic internationals played in Chicago’s Soldier Field (W7, D3, L5).