ATLANTA, Georgia — This will take some getting used to. But it's real. Jamaica's Reggae Boyz have created two pieces of history in one fell swoop.
In a dramatic showdown in the semi-final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup at the Georgia Dome last evening, Jamaica defeated the USA 2-1, shocking the 70,000-capacity crowd here and millions more Americans watching at home.
It's historic because Jamaica were defeating the USA for the first time on home soil, and were making it to their first Gold Cup final appearance.
The Reggae Boyz got their history-making feat off the ground with a goal from Vancouver Whitecaps' Darren Mattocks in the 30th minute, and in what seemed like less than a heartfbeat six minutes later, Houston Dynamo's Giles Barnes put the icing on the cake.
Michael Bradley, the most outstanding player for the USA on the day, gave his country hope with a 48th-minute gift.
The Boyz now await the winner of the Mexico-Panama match, which was scheduled for last night at the Georgia Dome.
Jamaica, who are often looked down on even by their American peers, are no longer the Cinderella of CONCACAF football.
But it was not a Sunday stroll for the victors, who had to toil in all areas of the field in the 90-plus minutes it took to topple a giant of a nation and kingpin of football in the sub-continental region.
After an unbelievable 2-0 lead at half-time, the Americans returned with the wrath of a beast and they pelted Jamaica's goal non-stop, but Jamaica's defence led by Wes Morgan, Michael Hector, Kemar Lawrence and Adrian Mariappa maintained their hard-line resistance.
As testimony to a job well done, they rendered the dangerous Clint Dempsey and company ineffective for the most part.
After a rickety start, Jamaica began to settle into their rhythm in around the 10th minute of play, and regularly explored possibilities down the American right.
In one of those moves, a play that appeared harmless in its first phase suddenly turned into a threat when Reading FC's Garath McCleary made a daring dribble into the box, leaving a cheeky back heel for Mattocks, but the Vancouver Whitecaps man was not quick on the draw, and the moment of opportunity was lost.
In a four-minute spell of pressure starting in the 21st minute, the USA poached the Jamaican goal with mad intensity, attacking down both flanks, but the Jamaicans managed to batten down in defence.
But on at least two of those occasions, the breakaway started when the Boyz clumsily gave away possession in crucial areas -- once through Lawrence and Je-Vaughn Watson, who had an otherwise standout game.
On the other end, the Boyz threatened again down the right in the 27th minute with McCleary, who darted into the area and cut back nicely for Barnes, whose looping shot went over the top.
A minute later, goalkeeper Ryan Thompson made a mess with a back pass, when he attempted a bit of showboating and lost possession, but luckily for him, the lurking US player could only find the sidenetting.
In the 29th minute the Pittsburgh Riverhounds goalkeeper redeemed himself with a brilliant one-handed save as the USA's Ventura Alvarado tried to curl a 20-yard shot around him.
And against the runner-up of play, Jamaica pulled up their socks and turned heat on the USA at the other end.
Lawrence, who appeared a shade off his best in the early set, launched one of his trademark long throws from the left-side, and an alert Mattocks responded by rising with his marker, and with a flash of his dreadlocked head, the ball hit the upright, rolled back across the goal and crept over the goal line.
The few Jamaicans in the stands had barely ended their celebration, when six minutes later, Barnes whipped a 20-yard right-footed free-kick past a beaten Brad Guzan in the American goal.
And the capacity Georgia Dome erupted into maddening celebrations as Mexican fans banded with the Jamaicans in their moment of glory.
After that, the American support went silent as if they had left the venue, sent into shock, no doubt, by the surprise scoreline.
On the resumption, as was expected, the USA came with guns blazing, charging the Jamaican goal from every angle, desperate to rescue the game. And the pressure paid off in the 48th minute, when Thompson spilled the ball from a driving effort from outside the penalty box, gifting Bradley the ball to side-foot into the goal.
Thompson, who gave such a great account of himself as a first-half substitute against El Salvador in the group phase, was having a difficult evening.
In the 70th minute, the USA threatened again when Gyasi Zardes slipped into the danger zone, but his effort bubbled up and caused no worries.
But before that, Barnes broke into the box, and as he was about to take aim, he was unfairly bundled off the ball, but the Boyz' appeal for a penalty did not resonate with Costa Rican referee Ricardo Montero.
In the 80th minute, Jamaica found themselves in a break-away with substitute Simon Dawkins, who chose to delay the attack, opting to pass inside instead of bursting into the box.
The experienced campaigner Jobi McAnuff and skipper Rodolph Austin once again stood tall, influencing the Jamaican offensive moves and helping to mop up in defence.
In getting here, Jamaica drew 2-2 with Costa Rica in Los Angeles and had 1-0 wins over Canada in Houston and El Salvador in Toronto in the group stage. They then clipped Haiti 1-0 in a competitive quarter-final match in Baltimore.
The Boyz will fly to Philadelphia today to prepare for the final, where the prestigious Gold Cup and US$1 million will be at stake.
