Gold Cup final: classy Jamaica out to end Mexico's lucky run

Jamaica showed spirit and poise to beat USA in the semi-finals, and they can lift their first major trophy against a Mexico team that have had fortune on their side

In a recent interview with ESPN, Jamaica’s German head coach Winfried ‘Winnie’ Schäfer, described his love for his adopted country’s most famous citizen: “I listen [to Bob Marley] on the bus. In the morning, in the evening, Bob Marley, Bob Marley, Bob Marley. It’s fantastic.”

But with a win on Sunday, Schäfer – whose broken English can on occasion resemble the colloquialisms of the Jamaican dialect – could find himself etched into the country’s folklore as well. That is, if he is able to complete the fairytale and lead Jamaica to their first ever Gold Cup title over Concacaf giants Mexico.

Truthfully, one would have been hard-pressed to find anyone predicting a Jamaica-Mexico final before the start of the tournament. Jamaica’s run has been unprecedented: they’ve already recorded their greatest ever Gold Cup performance by making the final. At this stage it would be silly to bet against them.

While many pundits decried the US for a poor showing in their 2-1 semi final defeat at the hands of the Caribbean side, too few have given Jamaica their deserved plaudits. Adopting the “David v Goliath” ethos, as Schäfer so willingly does, Jamaica were fearless against Jürgen Klinsmann’s side, putting in a smart and disciplined performance, bombing forward strategically on set pieces and relying on the speed of Giles Barnes and Darren Mattocks to counter. It was a mature performance from a team that few gave any chance heading into this tournament.

Jamaica’s fantastic run in the Gold Cup can be attributed to their experience at last month’s Copa América. International teams, heavy on talent, yet short on familiarity often fall victim to the truncated training times they are afforded — usually just a few weeks before the start of a tournament. This Jamaica side, however, which retained 17 of the 23 players who played in that tournament, has been together for the better part of two months, learning and growing together.

At the Copa, Jamaica were winless, but the experience was invaluable. In the lead-up to the tournament critics questioned their invitation, while Edinson Cavani questioned their geography. But despite going up against three of the best teams in the region – Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina – Jamaica held their own, keeping the likes of Cavani and Lionel Messi off the scoresheet and frustrating their opponents in the process. It would be solid preparation for the Gold Cup. Now a month later, Jamaica are marching to the final on the back of four consecutive victories and after allowing just three goals in the entire tournament.

Schäfer’s impact cannot be understated either. He’s forged a cohesive unit, one that’s utilized all the talent at Jamaica’s disposal, in the same vein that the American-German connection has bolstered the talent for US. Schäfer has spoken about his talent acquisition process: “I built a new team in one year. New players from England, new players from MLS. Team-building isn’t only about playing good football — team-building is also about team spirit. We have very good team spirit.”
Barnes, Jobi McAnuff and Garath McCleary are just a few of the English-born Jamaican’s who have played a major role for the Reggae Boyz this tournament. McCleary’s pace down the wing has given full-backs fits, and Barnes has been the perfect lynchpin, with game-winning goals in his last two matches. He’s the one to watch up front, and he’ll be accompanied by Mattocks, scorer of that opening goal in the semi final; a perfectly placed looping attempt that spun outside of Brad Guzan’s outstretched fingertips. 

At the back, Kemar Lawrence of the New York Red Bulls has emerged as a bona fide star. His timing and anticipation make the 22-year-old appear far more experienced than his age would suggest. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him heading to Europe soon. However, Jamaica’s goalkeeper Ryan Thompson, deputizing for the injured Dwayne Miller, could be a liability. Against the US his mistake lead to Michael Bradley’s goal, and he repeatedly spilled routine saves down the stretch.

But not only are Jamaica making their nation proud, they’ve also debunking stereotypes in the process. Jamaica are patient in their build-up play and while the impressive physical attributes of some of the attackers have played a role, they are not wholly reliant on any one strategy.

Their performance, coupled with some of their performances by the other ‘minnows’ of the region, shows that Concacaf teams are becoming well organized and experienced. The status quo may be shifting.

In their way will be everyone’s favorite villain, Mexico. Either it’s lady luck, or some bizarre Concacaf officiating, but El Tri seem to have a bit too much suerte on their side during this tournament. Mexico have been wholly underwhelming since crushing a poor Cuba side in their first game. They’ve drawn two and won two since, but both wins – occurring in the semi and quarter-final rounds – were marred by controversy.

Miguel Herrera’s’ side’s last three goals have been penalties, and two of those likely should not have counted. In that high-octane semi-final against Panama, a dubious red card given to Panama’s Luis Tejada in the 25th minute gifted Mexico over 60 minutes with a man advantage, yet they couldn’t capitalize, even going down 1-0 to a Roman Torres header in the second half. That game would devolve into an absolute mess after Torres was called for a handball in the last minute of the match, gifting Mexico a penalty and a chance to redeem themselves in extra time, where another dodgy penalty call would seal their ticket to the final.

Walking off the field against Panama, the Mexican players looked almost embarrassed. In the back of the Panama debacle, one can’t help but wonder how distracted the team is. This doesn’t bode well for El Tri, coming up against a Jamaica side that’s brimming with confidence. In fact this has become a lose-lose situation for Mexico; lose to Jamaica and it seen as a failure for a squad littered with stars.

But win, and it feels as though the tournament was a sham. It’s hard to imagine that the players don’t have this pinging around in their heads. And it’s even harder to imagine that it won’t affect them on the pitch in some capacity. Still, the talent is there but if their recent performance are any indication expecting it to all come together at the most crucial stage may just be wishful thinking.