CONCACAF NATIONS LEAGUE
USMNT looking to stamp their regional authority ahead of Nations League Final Four
The United States have won all previous editions of the CONCACAF tournament as Gregg Berhalter’s aim for a third win this week.
In recent years the United States National Team has cemented their position as the dominant force in the CONCACAF confederation. This forthcoming international window delivers a fresh opportunity for the US to consolidate their position as the top nation in the region itself with the finals of the 23-24 Nations League with Gregg Berhalter starting out as firm favourites to lift the trophy for the third successive year.
The USMNT secured the first two Nations League titles with wins over Mexico (2020-21) and Canada (2022-23) and in Thursday’s semi-final must overcome Jamaica at the AT&T Stadium (Texas). The other semi-final sees Mexico face Panama with the final set for Sunday (24 March) at the home of the Dallas Cowboys.
The US team are preparing for both the 2024 Copa America and the 2026 World Cup and will look to the experience of the likes of Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie along with new talents in the shape of Haji Wright and Folarin Balogun.
Jamaica will be no push-over with the ‘Reggae Boyz’ featuring a squad boasting high-profile names such as Michail Antonio (West Ham), Bobby Decordova-Reid (Fulham), Demarai Gray (Al-Ettifaq) and Andre Blake (Philadelphia Union) and under the guidance of Icelandic Heimir Hallgrímsson, the Caribbean side have become a harder team to break down than previous incarnations.
If Berhalter’s men advance to the final, another ‘Concacaf Classic’ would be on the cards and the first chance to see Gregg Berhalter and Jimmy Lozano go head-to-head as managers of the US and Mexico respectively. ‘El Tri’ will first have to overcome the threat posed by Panama with the ‘Canaleros’ a more solid outfit under the tutelage of Danish born Thomas Christiansen.