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The U.S. Men's National Team is one step closer to a Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal win.
Ricardo Pepi's early goal stood as the decider as Team USA won 1-0 on Thursday night in head coach Mauricio Pochettino's first game with the team.
The quarterfinal will continue with a second game on Monday. Whichever team wins the set will advance to both the Nations League Finals in March and the Gold Cup in June.
Pepi's early goal continued what has so far been a strong season for the 21-year-old USMNT star.
AC Milan star Christian Pulisic meanwhile sparked praise by setting up Pepi's go-ahead goal in the fifth minute.
The game marked a historic night for both Pulisic, who became the 33rd player in USMNT history to make 75 appearances for the U.S., and Pepi, who became the fourth USMNT player to score 12 times on international stages before turning 22, per the AP.
Pulisic also took several hits from Jamaica as USMNT worked to preserve the lead in the second half.
Jamaica's Demarai Gray received a penalty kick in the 14th minute, but Team USA goaltender Matt Turner blocked the shot to keep the Americans ahead.
The hosts got another opportunity to tie the game in the 65th minute, but Mason Holgate missed an opportunity on the goal line.
The second half was marked by whistles, with Holgate getting dismissed after receiving his second yellow card of the game in the 86th minute.
The win led fans to celebrate the U.S. Soccer Federation's decision to sign Pochettino as the successor to former manager Gregg Berhalter.
Pochettino coached Team USA through a pair of friendlies last month, but the win marked his first in a competitive match.
Team USA won the first three editions of the Concacaf Nationals League tournament. The United States will see if they can set themselves on track for a fourth straight victory by claiming the team's second official win of the Pochettino era on Monday.
Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET in St. Louis. The winner of the aggregate-goal series will advance to a semifinal match on March 20 in Inglewood, California.
The United States men's national team plays its first significant game under manager Mauricio Pochettino on Thursday night.
The USMNT visits Jamaica in the first leg of a two-leg quarterfinal in the Concacaf Nations League.
The Americans split the first two friendly matches under Pochettino's direction in September. They won at home against Panama and lost on the road in Mexico with a depleted squad.
Thursday's game starts a two-game series over the November international break with Jamaica. The winner of the series advances to the Nations League semifinals, which will be held in March.
USMNT vs. Jamaica Info
Date: Thursday, November 14
Start Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: TNT
Live Stream: Max
Storylines to Watch
Thursday is the first real test of the Pochettino era.
It will be one of the rare chances the USMNT gets to play in a competitive environment prior to the 2026 FIFA World Cup on home soil.
The USMNT's bare minimum expectation is to win everything on the continental level, and that has been true in the Nations League since it was introduced in 2019. The USMNT is three-for-three in Nations League titles.
The regular cast of stars are available for Pochettino on Thursday. Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah and Antonee Robinson are among the players penciled into the starting lineup.
Goalkeeper and striker continue to be the toughest positions to figure out inside the USMNT talent pool.
Matt Turner and Zack Steffen were two of four goalkeepers called in for the November Nations League games. Two other young netminders are in camp, but they are not expected to start over the two international veterans.
Pochettino may be willing to split the November starts between Turner and Steffen, who have 76 international appearances between them, but no clear-cut No. 1 goalkeeper has emerged just yet.
At forward, Ricardo Pepi has to be the option given who was available for the November roster. Josh Sargent and Haji Wright are both dealing with injuries at the moment.
Pepi could take the Nations League quarterfinals as his opportunity to shine in front of the new manager. He has 11 goals in 31 international games and has six goals in the Eredivisie for PSV this season.
Brandon Vazquez is the other candidate to start up top. The Monterrey forward is not in the blistering form he was in last year in Liga MX, but he does have three goals in six games in the new Liga MX campaign.
Pochettino might be inclined to start his players with more experience on Thursday on the road before he unleashes a more attack-friendly lineup at home on Monday.
Jamaica can be one of the toughest teams to break down with three-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Andre Blake in net.
The Reggae Boyz allowed one goal in their last four games, so do not expect the Americans to bury a plethora of chances.
A draw in Kingston would be a good result, but if the Americans win, it will likely be by a slim margin.
Prediction: USMNT 0, Jamaica 0
Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) have suspended English referee David Coote and are looking into a video that purportedly shows Coote making derogatory remarks toward former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp.
The person identified as Coote from the video said that Liverpool was "s--t" when asked about the club, and he described Klopp as a "c--t" and "f--king arrogant," per the Daily Mail's Lewis Steele.
It's unclear when the video was filmed, but it appears to be from when Klopp was still the Liverpool manager. Coote used the present tense when he said, "I do my best not to speak to him," and also praised midfielder James Milner, who left Liverpool when his contract expired after the 2022-23 season.
The comments sparked an instant reaction, particularly among Reds supporters, and a suspension was inevitable.
Even if Coote never displayed any explicit bias against Liverpool in past matches, his credibility has been undermined in a major way. It took no time before fans examined close officiating decisions that went against Liverpool.
At the very least, it's hard to see how Coote could work another Liverpool match moving forward if the video is verified, and PGMOL could decide more serious measures are required.
Keith Hackett, a former top-level referee who once led PGMOL, told BBC Sport's Chris Osborne in 2016 the organization attempts to vet any potential conflicts of interest.
"At the beginning of every season the referees' background information is audited," he said. "They complete a form that includes who they support, the history of if they've played the game and with the addresses where they are residing.
"That gives you a picture that comes into use when you're appointing. It's about ensuring, for example, you wouldn't appoint a Sheffield-based ref for a Sheffield team."
Coote became a regular Premier League referee in 2018-19. He was coincidentally the referee for Liverpool's 2-0 win over Aston Villa in Matchday 11.
In a win-or-go-home game featuring Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF against Atlanta United FC, a goal in the 76th minute sealed a 3-2 victory for Atlanta at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. With the win, Atlanta advances to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, while Miami is eliminated.
Despite Messi scoring a goal in the second half, fans were left stunned by the loss.
Miami held the top seed in the Eastern Conference and with their elimination, all of the top three seeds in the East have been knocked out in the first round.
Miami and Atlanta entered Saturday's game tied with one win each. Miami took Game 1 with a 2-1 victory, while Atlanta claimed Game 2, also 2-1.
Both teams scored early in the playoff matchup. Inter Miami struck first with a goal from Matias Rojas in the 17th minute, quickly followed by an Atlanta United goal from Jamal Thiare in the 19th minute.
In the 21st minute, forward Thiare scored once again to give Atlanta the 2-1 edge going into half time.
Out of halftime, Messi found his first goal of the postseason in the 65th minute, to even out the score 2-2.
To seal the game, Atlanta's Bartosz Slisz scored in the 76th minute, securing the victory.
Miami registered a staggering 25 shot attempts compared to Atlanta's nine and controlled 64.3 percent of possession, yet they couldn't secure the win.
Following the match, Miami fans voiced their disappointment on social media over the loss to the lower-ranked Atlanta team.
Atlanta advances to face No. 4 Orlando City SC in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
A soccer player was killed by a lightning strike during a game on Sunday in Peru, according to Peruvian state news service Andina and Reuters.
José Hugo De la Cruz Meza, a defender in his 30s, was killed in the strike. Goaltender Juan Chocca Llacta was severely burned and taken to a hospital in critical condition, per Andina and El Colombiano. Three other players were also injured, per Andina.
The incident took place during a match between Juventud Bellavista and Familia Chocca at Coto Coto stadium in Chilca, located in the province of Huancayo.
Players and referees were walking off the field after the match was suspended due to weather when there was a direct strike of lightning to the pitch. Video showed multiple players falling to the ground after the strike.
The local municipality said in a statement shared on Facebook that De La Cruz had died on his way to the hospital.
Local authorities said that De la Cruz's death may have been caused by the metal bracelet he was wearing, Kieran Kelly reported for the Telegraph.
According to Kelly, "there have been growing concerns over the safety of the football matches in Huancayo, a high-altitude region where lighting strikes are frequent."
A player for Sport Aguila was injured by a lightning strike in the same region in 2014, according to a previous report by the Mirror. In Indonesia, a soccer player named Septian Raharja died after he was hit by a lightning bolt during a game in February.
In a hard-fought battle featuring Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF, Atlanta United FC claimed a 2-1 victory with a dramatic extra-time goal, sealing the game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and handing Miami a disappointing Game 2 loss in the MLS Eastern Conference Playoffs.
The 22-8-4 Miami team and the 10-10-14 Atlanta team are now knotted at 1-1 in the series thanks to a last minute goal by Atlanta's Xande Silva.
It wasn't until the 40th minute that either team found the net, with Miami striking first on a goal from David Martinez, assisted by Federico Redondo. Right after halftime, Atlanta responded with a goal from Derrick Williams, leveling the score at 1-1.
The score remained tied at the end of regulation, leading to four minutes of stoppage time. Right out of the gate, Atlanta's Silva found the net off an assist from Aleksey Miranchuk, securing the victory.
Despite Miami holding 58.6 percent possession, they managed only two shots on goal compared to Atlanta's four. Messi remains scoreless in his first MLS postseason games.
After the match, Miami fans took to social media to express their disappointment over the loss to the lower-ranked Atlanta team.
Miami and Atlanta will face off in Game 3 of the first round of the playoffs next Saturday at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with both teams eager to secure a crucial victory in their postseason battle and move onto the quarterfinals.
