NASHVILLE, Tennessee – With a rather meager 1- 0 win over Panama on Sunday at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Jamaican Reggae Boyz will meet the United States in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
That game will be played on Wednesday evening in Nashville, Tennessee. This will be Jamaica’s third straight CONCACAF Gold Cup semi-final.
In the match against Panama, the Reggae Boyz’s lone goal came from a Darren Mattocks’ penalty in the 75th minute.
Mattocks, a former Whitehouse striker, who has played just one of Jamaica’s four games in the tournament, came off the bench in the 73rd minute. Trying to head in a ball for a goal, it came off the hand of a Panama defender and the refer awarded Jamaica a penalty. Taking the penalty, Mattocks placed the ball firmly from the Panama keeper for the goal.
Andre Blake, the Jamaican goalkeeper, was impressive as he thwarted several Panamanian assaults on the goal. In the 21st minute, Blake was quick off his line to stop Edgar Barcenas, who broke through the Jamaican defence. Panama almost scored in the 25th minute, but Abdiel Arroya failed to finish with only Blake to beat. Two minutes later, Barcenas had another great opening, but Blake was again quick off his line to deny the midfielder.
Unfortunately, Jamaica will be without their top defender, Damion Lowe, for the game against the US, as he received a second yellow card, and accordingly, is ruled out from playing.
In the last quarter-final between the United States and Curaçao, the US won 1-0.
