October 16 – The USA will face Jamaica in the quarter finals of the Concacaf Nations League next month in a match that has the feeling of a must-win for both nations.
The USA are pre-qualified for the home-hosted World Cup in 2026 but need more competitive matches to build a team that will capture the imagination of USA supporters in 2026. Jamaica, with a line-up that sparkles with proven Premier League talent, need the Nations League finals to build a run of form into the 2026 qualifiers.
Both countries have new head coaches with English Premier League experience. Mauricio Pochettino will be keen to put the 2-0 ‘friendly’ loss to Mexico week behind him, while Steve McClaren will want to take advantage of the US’s inconsistency with more goals from his star-studded forward line.
Jamaica topped their Nations League group ending with a 0-0 draw against Honduras that ensured home both nations have a shot at the final four.
Honduras have steadily improved over the past two years though just missed out on the Nations League final four in 2023/24. They face top seeds Mexico in their quarter final. Mexico will start favourites but in their last two matches both sides came away with a 2-0 win.
In the other quarter finals Costa Rica, who led their group, will be looking for a return to the finals against Panama, who have replaced them in Concacaf’s top four ranking.
Suriname will face Canada in the other quarter final.
Home and away matches will be played in the November international fixture window 2024 and with the winners advancing to the Concacaf Nations League Finals at to be played from March 20 to 23, 2025, at Hollywood Park and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Quarterfinal matchups:
QF1: Panama vs Costa Rica (fourth-ranked seeded team vs best first place)
QF2: United States vs Jamaica (third-ranked seeded team vs next first place)
QF3: Canada vs Suriname (second-ranked seeded team vs best second place)
QF4: Mexico vs…
Source link : https://www.insideworldfootball.com/2024/10/17/costa-rica-jamaica-lead-cnl-quarter-final-challenge-concacafs-big-four-seeded-nations/
Author : Paul Nicholson
Publish date : 2024-10-17 05:57:21
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