Irie, man

Two goals in first 13 minutes lifts U.S. past Jamaica

Clint Mathis of the United States pursues the ball against Tyrone Marshall. AP

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) -- The United States won at The Office for the first time in more than eight years.

Carlos Bocanegra and Chris Klein scored in a two-minute span early in the first half to lead the U.S. team over regional rival Jamaica 2-1 in an exhibition game Wednesday night.

While the Americans improved to 8-0-5 against the Reggae Boyz, it was the first U.S. win at Kingston's National Stadium -- nicknamed "The Office" -- since Nov. 22, 1994. The United States played a scoreless tie at Jamaica in a World Cup qualifier in June 2001.

"It was a good result and a good experience for our young players," U.S. coach Bruce Arena said. "This is a long process and winning is not the bottom line, but to get a result in Kingston certainly gives the team confidence. This game looked a lot like a World Cup qualifier."

The Americans (2-1 in 2003) were coming off a 1-0 loss to Argentina on Saturday in Miami. Earlier in the day, the U.S. team was drawn to play World Cup champion Brazil, Turkey and Cameroon in June's FIFA Confederations Cup.

"It was a good win for team morale, and it was important to leave a good impression on Bruce as we all depart for our club teams," Bocanegra said. "The effort tonight showed that we can bounce back and play hard after a tough result."

Before about 27,000 fans cheering on the Reggae Boyz, Bocanegra scored his second goal of the year in the 11th minute with a charging header off Bobby Convey's corner kick.

Two minutes later, Klein received the ball near the top of the penalty area and sent a hard shot inside the left post.

U.S. midfielder Pablo Mastroeni, part of last year's World Cup team, was called for a yellow card in the 51st minute, setting up a free kick from about 30 yards that Onandi Lowe put past goalkeeper Tim Howard. It was just the second goal he allowed in six international appearances.

American midfielder DaMarcus Beasley, another World Cup veteran, left the match in the 83rd minute with a deep bruise on his right shin.

While the Americans used a roster from Major League Soccer, Jamaica brought back eight players based in England, including Bolton midfielder Theodore Whitmore. The Jamaicans went to the World Cup for the first time in 1998, but missed last year's tournament.

 

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