Jamaica's Reggae Boyz were left with a bittersweet taste in their mouths as they suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to the United States in the first leg of the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal clash at the National Stadium on Thursday.

It was a match defined by tension and missed chances, particularly for the Reggae Boyz, as Ricardo Pepi’s early fifth-minute strike proved decisive for the visitors, who left a packed crowd of 20,514 fans disappointed at the outcome.

With the win, United States, the reigning Concacaf Nations League champions will be even more confident heading into Monday's return leg in Missouri. Jamaica will be without England-born central defender Mason Holgate for that contest after he was shown a second yellow and then red in the 86th. His first caution was in the 76th.

The Boyz would have been hyped heading into Thursday's encounter on home soil, but quickly had the wind knocked out of their sails when Pepi found the net from a Christian Pulisic through ball to seize an early lead for the United States.

However, the Boyz refused to be cowed and pressed the Americans for an equalizer in what became a fiercely contested match. They had their first real chance to level things in the 12th minute, when Shamar Nicholson powered his way into the box, only to be fouled by United States' goalkeeper Matt Turner.

Demarai Gray stepped up to take the resulting penalty, but Turner rose to the occasion, diving to his right to block Gray’s low shot and keep the United States advantage intact.

Still, the Boyz continued to push forward. In the 36th minute, Kasey Palmer tried his luck from the top of the box, but his shot was comfortably collected by Turner. 

Just a minute later, Dexter Lembikisa whipped in a well-placed cross for Nicholson, but his header went well wide of the mark as they continued their search for a breakthrough.

After a slow start to the second half, the Boyz upped the tempo and created multiple close chances in what was their best passage of play. Nicholson had another opportunity in the 63rd minute, but his shot was expertly charged down by Mark McKenzie, who frustrated the Jamaican faithful.

Perhaps Jamaica's best chance came shortly after, in the 65th minute, as Renaldo Cephas sent a teasing cross across the face of the United States goal. Holgate connected but had his shot cleared off the line by Tim Ream.

The resulting corner saw Leon Bailey's curling effort rattle the crossbar, and Damion Lowe’s follow-up was also blocked, drawing loud cheers from the crowd, who wanted a VAR check for a possible penalty. 

However, the appeal by both the players on the pitch and their supporters was ignored by Costa Rican referee Juan Gabriel Calderon, resulting in murmurs of frustration through the crowd. 

The game briefly paused when tensions flared between Bailey and United States defender Antonee Robinson, an incident symbolic of the competitive spirit both sides displayed throughout.

As the minutes ticked away, Jamaica kept pushing, but the United States defence stood firm. Bailey tried once more in the 73rd minute with a shot from inside the box, only to see it blocked by Ream.

A defensive error by Lowe opened the door for the Americans to threaten late on, with Brandon Vazquez finding himself with space and time in the 84th minute, but his attempt went straight to Jamaica’s custodian Andre Blake.

The final blow for the Boyz came in the 86th minute when Holgate received his second yellow card after a foul on Vazquez, reducing Steve McClaren's side to 10 men and dimming their chances for a late comeback.

Despite the narrow defeat, Jamaica will head into the second leg with hopes of overturning the deficit but will need to be much sharper and more clinical if they hope to progress to the semifinals, as getting by the United States in their backyard will by no means be easy.

Jamaica’s senior Reggae Boyz closed out their Group B Concacaf Nations League campaign with a goalless stalemate against Honduras at the National Stadium on Monday night.

While their performance wasn’t the most impressive in terms of flair or attacking threat, the Jamaicans did enough to finish atop the League A group on eight points to secure a quarterfinals berth.

Honduras, who placed second on seven points, also advanced to the next stage of the competition. Nicaragua (seven points), Trinidad and Tobago (five points), Cuba (three points), and French Guiana (one point) complete the group.

Jamaica and Honduras now join Concacaf’s top-ranked teams, United States, Panama, Mexico, and Canada, in the knockout round, with the top two finishers in Group A—to be decided on Tuesday—set to meet them there.

The Jamaicans entered the game aiming to build on their 2-0 win over Nicaragua just days earlier, but found themselves stifled in the final third, particularly in the first half.

In fact, it was a slow start by both teams, as they took some time to settle into their respective game plans to prove an attacking threat in open play. The Reggae Boyz moreso displayed patience in an attempt to efficiently execute the possession-based style play desired by Head coach Steve McClaren.

However, while they tried to work out how to break down Honduras' low block tactics in midfield, the visitors launched a few good counterattacks from which they should have piled misery on the Boyz, but for a lack of quality in the final third.

Honduras had eight shots at goal in the first half, compared to Jamaica’s solitary effort, which came in the 33rd when an unmarked Ethan Pinnock fired wide from Demarai Gray's corner kick.

Prior to that, Honduras' first warning shot came in the seventh minute from Edwin Rodriguez, whose right-footer from a distance was easily palmed down by Andre Blake.

Three minutes later, a short pass by Mason Holgate was picked up by Honduras and almost proved costly. Luckily for the Boyz, Joel Latibeaudiere recovered well to avert the danger.

Though they bossed possession, the Reggae Boyz struggled to convert their dominance into clear-cut scoring opportunities, leaving fans at the National Stadium craving more attacking dynamism.

This, as Honduras continued to show more purpose in the attacking third and kept Blake busy, as Jorge Alvarez's 21st-minute shot from the top of the 18-yard box went straight at the Philadelphia Union goaltender.

In the 32nd, Holgate again gave up possession to Antony Lozano, who went on the break, but the Honduran, sporting the number nine jersey and the captain's armband, muffed his effort and gave the Jamaicans a reprieve.

Lozano went on another break in the 38th, but again lacked composure where it mattered most as he slammed a rushed right-footer into the sidenetting.

The Jamaicans were more spirited on the resumption, especially with the introduction of Renaldo Cephas and Kaheim Dixon. Both fleet-footed attackers combined well at times with Michail Antonio and Gray, but their hunt for the go-head goal proved fruitless. 

Dixon went close in the 69th when he drove a right-footer along the turf, but the effort went just wide of the right upright. 

The former Clarendon College and Arnett Gardens stalwart, who now plies his trade at Charlton Athletic, applied pressure in the 79th and went down in a challenge for possession with Honduras' goalkeeper Edrick Menjivar. However, his appeal for a penalty was waved off by American referee Armando Villarreal.

Honduras' best effort of the half came in the 80th when Kervin Arriaga lashed a stinging left-footed drive from about 20 yards out, but it was tipped over by Blake, who produced another steady performance between the posts, to not only keep a clean sheet but, more importantly, demonstrate the calm leadership he's known for.

Colorado Springs Switchbacks midfielder Tyreek Magee could be set for his first appearance for the Reggae Boyz since November 2023 as he selected in the squad for the upcoming CONCACAF Nations League fixtures against Nicaragua away and Honduras at home on October 10 and 14, respectively.

The 25-year-old former Jamaica College star has scored three goals in 13 appearances so far this season for the Switchbacks in the USL Championship and is in the Reggae Boyz squad for the first time since the first leg of the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Canada which the Reggae Boyz lost 2-1.

He has made 10 appearances for the Reggae Boyz since his debut in 2019.

“I’ve always looked for a number 10, creative player out of the box, somebody who can change games and I asked Merron (Gordon) and he recommended Tyreek (Magee),” Reggae Boyz head coach Steve McLaren said at the squad announcement press conference held at the JFF headquarters in Kingston on Friday.

“I had a little loom at him and I liked him. This boy has ability, skill, can change a game and I said yeah, we’ll give him a chance. That’s what I aim to do,” he added.

Also returning to the Reggae Boyz squad for the upcoming games are New York City FC right back Tayvon Gray, Seattle Sounders defender Jon Bell and Indy Eleven forward Romario Williams.

Former England Under-21 defender Mason Holgate is a newcomer to the squad, though his participation in the games is yet to be determined.

“We’ve been chasing him since before I came in. I think, through the intervention of the President especially, trying to push through players with heritage wanting passports, I think we’re finally very, very close to getting a passport for him. He just needs clearance from FIFA,” McLaren said.

“He might not qualify for the first gams but we think by the second game he will definitely be available so I decided to bring him in and integrate him quickly,” he added.

Aston Villa’s Leon Bailey misses out on a place in the squad after picking up an adductor injury against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.

Spartak Moscow striker Shamar Nicholson has also been left out after telling coach McLaren he wasn’t happy with his fitness.

“After the last camp, we had some discussions. He never felt happy about his form and his condition,” McLaren said regarding Nicholson.

“He expressed that he felt he was way behind in terms of not having a pre-season and he wants to build his fitness up,” he added.

Others from the last camp that were left out included Michael Hector, Jamal Lowe, Adrian Reid Jr and Jonathan Russell.

The full squad is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Andre Blake (Philadelphia Union), Shaquan Davis (Mount Pleasant FA), Jahmali Waite (El Paso Locomotive)

Defenders: Dexter Lembikisa (Yverdon-Sport), Di’Shon Bernard (Sheffield Wednesday), Greg Leigh (Oxford United), Damion Lowe (Al-Okhdood), Jon Bell (Seattle Sounders), Richard King (Cavalier SC), Tayvon Gray (NYCFC), Ethan Pinnock (Brentford), Mason Holgate (West Brom)

Midfielders: Kasey Palmer (Hull City), Karoy Anderson (Charlton Athletic), Bobby Reid (Leicester City), Joel Latibeaudiere (Coventry City), Tyreek Magee (Colorado Springs Switchbacks)

Forwards: Renaldo Cephas (Ankaragucu), Norman Campbell (Randers FC), Michail Antonio (West Ham), Demarai Gray (Al-Ettifaq), Kaheim Dixon (Charlton Athletic), Romario Williams (Indy Eleven)

A 16th minute strike by Shamar Nicholson proved the difference as Jamaica's senior Reggae Boyz edged Dominican Republic 1-0 to open their Concacaf World Cup qualifying account on a positive note at the National Stadium on Thursday.

Nicholson’s strike, his 17th international goal and third in World Cup qualifiers, highlighted an unsatisfactory evening for Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side, as the defence was at times vulnerable, while the wasteful attacking front was marred by a lack of composure and poor decision-making in the final third. This was much to the disappointment of the sizeable crowd which surprisingly turned out despite the early kickoff and rainfall.

Still, for Hallgrimsson, the most important outcome was securing the three points, which propelled the Boyz to second in Group E on three points, same as leaders Guatemala, who hammered Dominica 6-0 in their opening clash on Wednesday.

“We should have finished it off, but when you are winning 1-0, it's always uncomfortable because then it only needs a corner or a freekick and the ball goes in. So you never kind of feel relaxed, but we should have killed the game off with the chances we got. Apart from that, it (our performance) was below par, and we can do much better than we did today,” Hallgrimsson said in a post-game interview.

“But given a lot of these players are coming back from not playing, it was kind of given that some of them would not be ready for a competitive match right away. We can for sure improve from this performance, but the most important thing is that we got the win and we kept a clean sheet,” he added.

After a cagey start by both teams, the Jamaicans eventually showed some attacking intent in the 12th minute through the fleet-footed Renaldo Cephas, who utilised his pace to good effect to breach Dominican Republic's defence, but he couldn't get on target at that point.

Dominican Republic tried to play their game, through steady and penetrative build ups, and it was one of those attempts to open up in attack that allowed the Jamaicans to break the deadlock on the counter. This, as Cephas won possession on the break and left the last defender in his wake on his way into the 18-yard box where he played a pass across goal to Nicholson, who applied a cool finish beyond custodian Miguel Lloyd.

The Boyz tried to press the ascendancy from there, but were unable to make their dominance in possession count, as their star man Michail Antonio was subjected to heavy physical treatment throughout. In fact, the Jamaicans next best chance of the first half was courtesy of Bobby Reid's 33rd-minute freekick from just outside the 18-yard box, which went just wide of the left upright.

Much like they did at the start, both teams were again slow into rhythm on the resumption, as both lacked enterprise in their build ups, and as such, failed to create anything meaningful in the attacking third.

It was until the 72nd minute that the Jamaicans again came to life when Cephas’s blistering pace down the left channel forced Luiyi De Lucas to take fell him inside the danger area and gift the Jamaicans a penalty. However, Reid couldn't make the 12-yard kick count as his effort went at a decent height for Lloyd to parry.

Eight minutes later, Reid again unleashed Cephas, who had Deshane Beckford alongside him in a two-on-one counter, but the former selfishly hogged possession and inevitably had his tame effort blocked by the advancing Lloyd.

Though they continued to threatening in a sustained attacking spell in the latter stages of the contest, the Jamaicans were found wanting in the decision-making which robbed them of any real opportunity to add to their tally.

Hallgrimsson, obviously under no illusions, acknowledged some flaws that he hopes to address heading into Sunday’s encounter away to Dominica.  

It should be placed in the context that the Icelandic coach was without a number of his first choice players –Demarai Gray, Amari’i Bell, Joel Latibeaudiere, Ethan Pinnock, Andre Blake and Dujuan Richards –due to injury, while Leon Bailey remains unavailable. Hence, the Boyz looked unimpressive.

“We were very slow. Everything that we did was low tempo. I think in the second half it got better, we created more chances with buildup play and creation, but in general, it was too slow for my taste. These strikers, for example, with all their individual quality, are not used to playing in a two striker formation,” Hallgrimsson reasoned.

“So we just need time to get them to sink a little bit better. But in general with the ball, we were not good. Slow tempo, even defending first half was slow tempo, so we gave them the time that they needed to be good. So I would just say we need to up the tempo in everything that we are doing. But you are correct, attacking decision-making is not good enough,” he noted.

Reggae Boyz forward Renaldo Cephas expects the team’s mentality and mindset to serve them well as they aim to make history in the semi-finals of the Concacaf Nations League.

Jamaica will be looking to make it to their first Nations League final when they tackle defending champions USA at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas on Thursday.

“I’m happy that I’m here to try and make history for Jamaica,” Cephas said in an interview on Tuesday.

“I think with the players mindset and mentality right now, we will do well in this game,” he added.

The 24-year-old made his debut for the Reggae Boyz in a Nations League fixture against Honduras on September 9 last year at the National Stadium in Kingston.

He played eight minutes in the game that Jamaica won 1-0.

“That was a great moment. To know that the coach believed in me and put me out there made me so happy,” he said.

Cephas was also an unused substitute in a 2-2 draw against Haiti at the same venue four days later.

This marks the first time he’s been called up to the national squad since those games.

“It’s a good feeling to be back with the national team. We have great players here so I’m really happy to be back,” he said.

At club level, Cephas is currently representing Turkish Super Lig club MKE Ankaragucu. He started his career with Jamaica Premier League club Arnett Gardens from 2019-2022 before moving to Macedonian club Shkupi.

He spent only one season there, scoring 11 goals in 29 games before moving to Ankaragucu in 2023.

This season, he has scored three goals and had three assists in 27 games as his club currently sits 16^th out of 20 teams in the league.

“It’s good in Turkey because I’ve been there a good while now. The players are like my family no so I think I’m well settled there. I think next season I can do some great things in Turkey,” he said before comparing the football in Turkey to Macedonia.

“It’s a different level of football. Turkey is much better. You have top players playing in Turkey whereas in Macedonia you don’t really have that,” he said.

You can watch the semi-finals of the Concacaf Nations League live on SportsMax on March 21.

After being initially left out for what Head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson described as a lack of match fitness, young star Dujuan ‘Whisper’ Richards has been added to the senior Reggae Boyz squad for their upcoming Concacaf Nations League games against Grenada and Haiti.

Richards, who will celebrate his 18th birthday on Wednesday was called up, as a number of players are faced with injuries, among other challenges, ahead of Thursday's fixture against the Spice Boys.

Right-back Javain Brown is out due to injury, and Adrian Mariappa has relinquished his place in the squad due to personal reasons, while Renaldo Cephas is out due to flight challenges.

Meanwhile, striker Michail Antonio, though still in the squad, will only contest the game against Haiti in Trinidad and Tobago, on Sunday.

The 56th-ranked Jamaicans, who bettered Honduras 1-0 and came-from-behind for a 2-2 stalemate with Haiti, both at the National Stadium, currently sit atop Group B in League A on four points, same as second-placed Cuba.

Victories in both games, would guarantee Hallgrimsson’s side a spot in next month’s quarter-final where they would face Canada or Costa Rica, provided Cuba does not surpass them on goal difference, should they too win their two encounters.

If the Boyz were to finish in the runners-up position, they would have United States or Mexico to contend with in their hunt for a Copa America berth.

Squad: Andre Blake, Kemar Foster, Jahmali Waite, Javain Brown, Tayvon Gray, Di’Shon Bernard, Michael Hector, Greg Leigh, Adrian Mariappa, Damion Lowe, Dexter Lembikisa, Bobby Decordova Reid, Daniel Johnson, Joel Latibeaudiere, Kevon Lambert, Karoy Anderson, Demario Phillips, Michail Antonio, Leon Bailey, Demarai Gray, Shamar Nicholson, Romario Williams, Renaldo Cephas