Brandon Vazquez pulled home a late equalizer as the de facto Confederation B team fought back to win a 1-1 draw with Jamaica in the opening match of the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup on Saturday.
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The defending champions, the US, will conclude group play with matches against St. Kitts and Nevis (June 28) and Trinidad and Tobago (July 2).
The USMNT fell behind in the 13th minute, as Everton winger and freshman reggae boy Demare Gray scored his debut with an assist. Gray roared a long free kick towards the near post, with Damion Lowe rising above the rest to head home past Matt Turner and give Jamaica a 1–0 lead.
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Things almost went from bad to worse for the USMNT in the 27th minute, when Aidan Morris hit an opposing player in the stomach in a failed attempt to clear the ball. The foul led to Jamaica being awarded a penalty, but Matt Turner, who wore the captain’s armband on his birthday on Saturday, prevented Leon Bailey from keeping it by one goal.
After 60 minutes, Turner’s save paid off in a big way. The move began with Jesus Ferreira lofting a cross to the back post where it was headed down, but not wide. The ball fell to Brandon Vazquez in a small pocket of space, and the FC Cincinnati forward slammed it into the net just six minutes after coming off the bench.
The stars of the show
Photo: FotMob.com
USMNT vs Jamaica, final score: 1-1
13th minute – Damion Lowe fires a free kick into the net to give Jamaica an early lead
29th minute – Matt Turner saves a Leon Bailey penalty to keep the USMNT alive
88th minute – Brandon Vazquez is in the right place at the right time to make it 1-1
How to watch the USMNT vs Jamaica match live, broadcast link and start time
Kick-off: 10 p.m. ET, Sat TV channel, streaming in English: FS1 A television channel broadcasting in Spanish: Univision
USMNT Schedule – CONCACAF Gold Cup 2023
against Jamaica **** – June 24, 9:30 p.m. ET – Chicago, Illinois against Saint Kitts and Nevis **** – June 28th, 9:30pm ET – St. Louis, Missouri against Trinidad and Tobago **** – July 2, 7 p.m. ET – Charlotte, North Carolina
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