NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Christian Pulisic netted twice in the second half and the United States beat the Reggae Boyz Jamaica 3-1 in a weather-interrupted Gold Cup semifinal match on Wednesday night.
The second semifinal match was delayed for 90-minutes in Nashville.
“It’s part of soccer, and the guys dealt with it in a really good way,” U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter said about the play being halted.
“It gave us time to look at film and give them encouragement. … We showed a relentless spirit when we came back out tonight.”
Weston McKinnie handed the Americans an early lead in the eighth minute after he raced into the box to sidefoot home from 6 yards out off a cut back from Reggie Cannon.
Embed from Getty ImagesFifteen minutes after the goal, the game was suspended due to lightning in the area at Nissan Stadium.
When play resumed, the defending champions took a 1-0 lead into the interval.
Pulisic scored his first of two goals in the 52nd minute when pounced on a loose ball inside the box to give the hosts a cushion.
The Reggae Boyz grabbed a goal back when Shamar Nicholson netted in the 69th minute, but Pulisic sealed the win with far post strike with three minutes to play in regulation time.
“The guys did a great job tonight,” Reggae Boyz goalkeeper and Andre Blake said. “Unfortunately the result didn’t go our way.
“I think this is probably our best game all tournament. That happens sometimes.”
The victory sees the USA advancing to its second straight Gold Cup final and will play against rivals Mexico at Chicago’s Soldier Field on Sunday.
Mexico edged Haiti in its semifinal match on Tuesday night after a controversial Raul Jimenez penalty sealed a 1-0 win.
USA is advancing to its 11th Gold Cup final, which is the most all-time.
