US edge past Jamaica to claim Gold Cup

Jordan Morris struck two minutes from time on Wednesday night to sink Jamaica's hopes of a first Concacaf Gold Cup. The American lashed home past the Jamaica goalkeeper Dwayne Miller from just inside the penalty area to settle a pulsating final just as extra-time beckoned.

Bruce Arena led the United States to their sixth Gold Cup trophy. Reuters/Mark J Rebilas

Minutes later the United States squad hoisted the Gold Cup for the sixth time since the competition's inception in 1991. Only Mexico with seven wins has been more successful in the tournament which is open to nations in north and central America.

Jozy Altidore opened the scoring at the Levi's Stadium in California with a sumptuous free-kick from 25 metres out just before the pause. But shortly after the restart, it was all square. Je-Vaughn Watson slotted past Tim Howard in the American goal.

Though the hosts had the lion's share of the possession, they could not break down the Jamaican defence until Morris's late contribution.

"Credit to Jamaica - they made it very tough for us," Morris said. "I was nervous as I was supposed to be marking Watson when he scored. So I was trying to make up for that mistake any way I could. Luckily I could put the ball in the back of the net."

Theodore Whitmore, the Jamaica coach, described Morris's goal as a dagger in the heart. "But again, this is football," he reflected. "If you look in the semi-final against Mexico, the same thing happened in that game when we scored the winner in the 88th-minute."

The trophy confirmed the resurgence of the United States since the return of Bruce Arena. The 65-year-old took over from Jurgen Klinsman on 22 November 2016 and the side has gone 14 games without defeat

Acknowledging a nervousness about their play in the prelude to the Gold Cup, Arena - who coached the US national squad between 1998 and 2006 - drafted in experienced operators such as Altidore and Michael Bradley as well as seasoned veterans like 34-year-old Clint Dempsey and 38-year-old Howard.

"This victory means everything," said Howard who had kept a clean sheet in the previous five matches at the tournament until he was beaten by Watson's shot in the final. "As you get older and get to finals, there's so much pressure to win because you don't know how many more finals you'll come back to."

Arena said the tournament had shown the development of the squad ahead of crucial qualifers for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

The Americans occupy the third and final automatic qualifying spot after six of the 10 games in the six team Concacaf group. On 1 September the Americans host second placed Costa Rica. That clash is followed on 5 September by a trip to fourth placed Honduras.

"We had a tournament where we scored by far the most goals of any team, were second in goals conceded, got five wins and used 27 players," Arena said. "It was an exercise that was outstanding for our program. Certainly not perfect, but for what we were trying to accomplish.

"We've made progress, but have a long way to go. Certainly I've got to find the right blend. We're a long way from qualifying for a World Cup, and that's the objective for sure."