United States begins CNL title defense against Jamaica, Costa Rica-Panama meet again

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MIAMI – The 2024/25 Concacaf Nations League resumes on Thursday, headlined by the quarterfinals in League A, which will decide berths to both the 2025 CNL Finals and 2025 Gold Cup.

The first-leg encounters begin with the defending champions, the United States, visiting Jamaica in a rematch of the semifinals from the previous edition. Costa Rica and Panama meet again in the quarterfinals for a consecutive edition.

During the November window, the home-and-away series will determine the teams advancing to the 2025 Concacaf Nations League Finals at Hollywood Park and SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California. The Quarterfinal winners will also qualify for next summer’s Gold Cup, while the losing teams will move on to the 2025 Gold Cup Prelims.

Jamaica vs. United States

Jamaica meets the United States in the first leg of their series at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica.

Jamaica reached the quarterfinals by finishing first in Group B during the group stage with an unbeaten 2-2-0 record. The Reggae Boyz will strive to match or better the team’s third-place finish in the 2023/24, its best-ever finish in CNL history.

Among Jamaica’s standout men throughout the group stage was goalkeeper Andre Blake, who was stellar in goal with three clean sheets to contribute to his team’s success in Group B. Midfielder Kasey Palmer and forward Michail Antonio were also some of the team’s top contributors in the group stage.

The United States is the only nation to win the CNL, doing so in three consecutive editions, and now seeks to do so under recently appointed head coach Mauricio Pochettino. The reigning champions seek a fourth straight title with team captain Christian Pulisic, who scored three goals and provided an assist in the final stages of the 2023/24 tournament, and Weston McKennie, the team leader with 11 goal contributions in the CNL (six goals and five assists) on their roster.

The match will kick off the second series between the sides in CNL history after meeting in the semifinal round of the 2024 CNL Finals. The U.S. leads the all-time series between the nations with 20 wins to three for Jamaica, while ten other encounters resulted in draws.

Costa Rica and Panama will open their series with the first leg at the Estadio Nacional in San José, Costa Rica.

The two sides meet for a second consecutive meeting in the CNL quarterfinals and the 57th time across all competitions. Costa Rica leads the all-time series with 27 wins to 15 for Panama, with the teams also drawing on 14 occasions.

The first-place team in Group A with a 2-2-0 record, Costa Rica will seek redemption after being denied a spot in the CNL Finals by Panama in the previous edition.

Defensively, Los Ticos will look to captain Francisco Calvo, who contributed two goals in the group stage, and goalkeeper Patrick Sequeira, who kept three clean sheets. Young attacking star Warren Madrigal tallied two goals, while forward Manfred Ugalde concluded the group stage as the team’s top assist provider with two.

Panama begins its campaign in the 2024/25 CNL looking to build on consecutive fourth place finishes in the CNL Finals.

José Fajardo was the top scorer for Los Canaleros in the 2023/24 edition with three, having scored five goals in his last eight matches for his national team. Fajardo and 2023/24 Concacaf Men’s Player of the Year Adalberto Carrasquilla will be key players to watch as Panama starts its campaign.

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