Jordan Morris, Cristian Roldan and the United States Men’s National Team advanced to the final of the 2019 Gold Cup with a 3-1 win over Jamaica at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday night.
The Stars and Stripes came flying out of the gates against Jamaica, setting the tempo with quick, intricate passing exchanges. In the 4th minute, Morris raced in behind the Reggae Boyz defense and laid the ball on a platter for Paul Arriola, whose point-blank shot was clawed off the line.
That pressure paid off five minutes later. Weston McKennie timed his delayed run into the box to perfection, latching onto a cutback from Reggie Cannon and calmly side-footing his finish past Andre Blake.
The United States’ barnstorming approach was disrupted by a lengthy weather delay in the first half. When play resumed, Jamaica immediately established a foothold in the game and looked likely to equalize.
Morris helped the USMNT book passage to the final in the 52nd minute. McKennie played a slide-rule pass into the path of the Mercer Island native, whose first-time shot forced a hefty rebound from Blake, which Christian Pulisic pounced on for the game-winning goal.
Roldan entered the match as a substitute for Morris in the 70th minute. The Sounders standout helped shore up the midfield and re-establish some control of the match as the Stars & Stripes saw out the result.
The Reggae Boyz continued to pile on the pressure, coming close to a second equalizer on several occasions, but Pulisic iced the match with an insurance goal in the 87th minute.
Morris, Roldan and the USMNT will take on Concacaf rival Mexico in the Gold Cup final on Sunday at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (6:00 p.m. PT; FS1).
