Darren Mattocks entered the match in the 73rd minute, earned a Jamaican penalty kick two minutes later, and converted the chance scoring the lone goal of the match and spurring Andre Blake, Jamoi Topey, and the rest of the Reggae Boyz onto the semi-finals of the Gold Cup for the third straight year.
Outshot and out-possessed, Jamaica found a way to win Sunday
night at Lincoln Financial Field in the first of two 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup
quarterfinal matches.
“It wasn’t pretty but that’s football,” said Andre Blake in
the post-match media zone after he captained his native country to a
quarterfinal victory. “I’ll take an ugly win more than a pretty loss all day.
The boys did a great job tonight. It wasn’t our best game but we stuck to the
task and defended our asses off and we’re moving on.”
Blake, playing in his home city of Philadelphia, spoke about
the emotions he felt while wearing the captain’s armband Sunday night. “It was
an emotional night for me. I felt the love from the fans and I’m just very
happy that we were able to come away with the win,” said Blake.
The six foot, four inch brick wall of a keeper made his
impacts felt early on in the match during the 28th minute when one of Panama’s
most dynamic players, Edgar Barcenas broke free in behind Jamaica’s back line
after a costly turnover. Blake, closed down Barcenas and then continued
defending all the way toward the corner flag before tackling the ball away for
a Panamanian corner kick.
Blake wouldn’t be called upon to make a save again until the
43rd minute when he easily smothered a soft shot from inside the box off the
foot of Adbiel Arroyo. Despite not registering many shots, Panama were by far
the better team through the first 45 minutes of action.
But Blake and his teammates regrouped at halftime.
“We weren’t putting pressure on their top guys,” said Blake
when asked about adjustments at halftime. “We sat back a little too deep so we
started to come out a little bit more to try and win the ball a little higher
up the field.”
The minor changes in their approach proved effective. By
pressing higher up the field, Jamaica was able to get their speedy players up
top on the ball and in space more frequently which forced Panama to open up.
During the 58th minute, Jamaica almost tallied the first
goal of the match. Blake blasted a goal kick deep into Panama’s half where
Jamaica eventually won possession. After a few short passes, Junior Flemmings
darted forward on the ball. Flemmings speed allowed him enough space to release
a left-footed shot but it rolled just wide.
15 minutes later, however, Jamaica would create the only
chance they needed to escape with a victory. A 50/50 ball floated inside
Panama’s goal box where Darren Mattocks challenged Panama’s Michael Murillo in
the air. Murillo’s arm was extended and contacted the ball as both players
jumped which forced head referee Mario Escobar to whistle for a Jamaica penalty
kick.
After a brief, yet passionate discussion among five Jamaican
teammates, Mattocks walked the ball to the spot and calmly slotted home the PK
chance for the match’s only goal.
The positives for Jamaica continued, however. While
successfully killing off the final moments of the match, Jamaican head coach
Theodore Whitmore decided to grant Bethlehem Steel FC center back Jamoi Topey
with his first career international cap. Topey was sent on to clog the central
channels and executed his instructions perfectly.
“It’s a very good feeling to be a part of this team and to
get a chance to play,” said the 19-year old Topey after the match. “They told
me to sit there in the central midfield and defend.”
“Very happy for,” said Blake when asked about his teammates brief yet meaningful performance. “It’s very good for him at this young age to be a part of the mix. With time he’s only going to get better. I keep telling him that it’s going to happen and you just have to keep going with the game-plan and to stay hungry and be ready for your chance,” said Blake.
Topey clocks in at an imposing six foot, six inches and at
just 19, he is poised for a long and successful professional career for both
club and country. And with Blake by his side – since both are with the
Philadelphia Union organization – Topey should be in good hands as he continues
to develop with Bethlehem Steel FC.
For Blake, however, a strong performance in the semi-finals
from Jamaica is most important. “It’s about now,” said Blake when asked about
proving Jamaica’s legitimacy as a threatening side. “We have to show everybody
that it’s not a fluke. We know it’s not going to be easy, it’s going to be a
challenge but we are going to go out there and give it our all,” said Blake.
As of now, it looks like Jamaica are destined to square off
against the reigning Gold Cup champions in the United States.
“Every time we play the US, it’s going to be a tough game,” said
Blake with honesty. “But the boys like a challenge and we’re always up for
these games. Games like that we don’t need any motivation for and that’s when
we always get the best out of our players. To be one of the best, you have to be
able to play against the best,” said Blake.
Blake, Topey, and the rest of the Reggae Boyz will now wait until July 3rd. Until then, they’ll recover while hoping to keep momentum moving forward. They’ll ultimately not look to shake up their approach too much. “We kind of just try to play the game on its merit,” explained Blake when asked about game-planning. “We like to be unpredictable and that way we can create stuff.”
Look for Blake to carry Jamaica against their would-be foe in USMNT. Blake will most definitely have his hands full against an offensively talented US side in just three days time.
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