USMNT shows fight that Pochettino demands as Pepi goal earns edge vs. Jamaica

Ricardo Pepi met the moment, and now the United States men's national team is one step closer to the Concacaf Nations League (CNL) semifinals.

The USMNT forward, long limited to a substitute's role for both club (PSV Eindhoven) and country, had insisted all week that he was ready to be a difference-maker in the starting XI. With three other strikers out injured, Pepi got his chance and delivered for Mauricio Pochettino's team in the quarterfinal first-leg matchup against Jamaica in Kingston, scoring the only goal in a gritty 1-0 win. The USMNT now heads into the Monday's second leg in St. Louis with a one-goal advantage.

This was by no means a game that will live long in the memory, though that is the nature of U.S. road matches in Concacaf. They are often played in stifling conditions and feature some rugged play. This match was no different. Pepi for one, was ready, and he's now the fourth player to score 12 goals for the U.S. before turning 22 years old (Landon Donovan, Jozy Altidore and Christian Pulisic are the others).

"We were here to fight. We knew it was going to be difficult," Pepi told TNT postmatch. "But at the end of the day, we got the result, and now it's time to go take care of it at home."

Following Pepi's fifth-minute opener the visitors had two more chances to score through Antonee Robinson and Pulisic -- whose deft pass set up Pepi's goal -- and the U.S. squandered both of them. At which point, the game turned ugly as Jamaica slowly increased the pressure. U.S. goalkeeper Matt Turner conceded a first-half penalty, but made up for it by saving Demarai Gray's spot kick.

There was some desperate defending, as well, especially in the second half, that allowed the U.S. to survive. Both Tim Ream and Mark McKenzie came up with some critical blocks. And Yunus Musah delivered one of the defensive plays of the game when his 66th-minute tackle on Mason Holgate at the doorstep of the U.S. goal preserved the visitors' lead.

But survive the U.S. did, and that is what mattered the most in this match. The run-up to the 2026 World Cup is light on competitive games, and prevailing in this quarterfinal will allow the U.S. to take part in the final stage of the CNL -- a competition that the U.S. has won every time it has been held -- next March. As much as U.S. manager Pochettino has downplayed the limited time he has with his players in this cycle, that reality means the CNL has more value than it did in the past. This is an opportunity that can't be squandered.

All the more reason to savor this win, even if it wasn't easy on the eyes. Sure, the Pochettino era is still in its early stages, and it can be argued that so far there hasn't been much in the way of scintillating soccer. But since the start of 2020, the USMNT's road record had been a rather mediocre: 3-6-5 prior to this match. A win on the road sets the team up for increased confidence and growth.

From the moment Pochettino was hired, the Argentine has preached competitiveness. In addition to a victory, that is what he got from his team on this evening. It was evident that Pochettino had a grasp of the kind of game his side were in for given that his midfield quintet of Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Musah, Tanner Tessmann and Johnny Cardoso possessed plenty of steel. It was also present in the face of some physical play from Jamaica that Costa Rican referee Juan Gabriel Calderón was inclined to let go.

During one melee in the 69th minute, the U.S. did an effective job of standing up for Pulisic -- who was on the receiving end of some heavy challenges -- while not straying into red-card territory. That kind of balance between standing up to opponents while keeping team discipline is vital in terms of getting results, and something that seemed to be missing last summer at Copa América. If the U.S. can maintain that kind of mental fortitude, it makes competing against some of the world's better teams -- like Copa América opponents Uruguay -- a more even proposition.

Having some individual brilliance helps too, and on that count, Pepi and Turner came through. For Pepi, this wasn't a night that was rife with scoring opportunities. In fact, the goal sequence proved to be the only time all night Pepi had a touch in the opposition penalty area. But he made the most of his opportunity, banging in his shot off the far post, for his second goal in the Pochettino era. That kind of efficiency is what will keep him in the starting lineup in the future.

"I just saw Christian between the lines and I saw a lot of space in behind, so made a run and just finished it," Pepi said, before adding: "If I position myself in the right space, then I'm always going to find space to score a goal."

Turner is also proving himself to be indispensable to the new U.S. manager, even as he finds minutes hard to come by at club level with Crystal Palace. He was arguably the Man of the Match last month in the 2-0 win over Panama, and while he wasn't tested that often in the match -- according to ESPN Stats & Info, Jamaica was credited with just one shot on target -- he came through when called upon. Granted, his takedown of Shamar Nicholson was the last domino to fall in the play that led to the penalty, but he atoned for his mistake, saving his third spot kick in a U.S. jersey and his second against Jamaica. He let out a roar following the save.

"I tried to stay grounded, but I was definitely pumped up in the moment," Turner said. "I needed a play like that for a long time now, so it felt good."

Staying grounded is precisely what the U.S. needs to do in the second leg. Jamaica has proved just as difficult to subdue on U.S. soil as it was on this night. In the last edition of the CNL, the Reggae Boyz took the U.S. to extra time in the semifinals. The competitiveness that Pochettino has been preaching will be needed again. Some more fluid play would be welcome as well. As Turner said: "We've got to keep building and move forward."