Town defender Bell starts but Reggae Boyz exit Nations League after USA loss

​Town defender Amari’i Bell started for Jamaica as they were knocked out of the CONCACAF Nations League on Monday evening, suffering a 4-2 quarter-final defeat to the United States.

​Having lost 1-0 in the first leg at the National Stadium in Kingston a few days earlier, a game in which Bell played 90 minutes, the Luton player won his 21st cap as Steve McClaren’s side went into the match as underdogs to reach the semi-finals. The Americans made the perfect start too as once Timothy Weah struck the post in the fourth minute, Christian Pulisic latched on to Weston McKennie's cross to put Mauricio Pochettino's side ahead in St Louis with 13 minutes gone.

A second arrived just after the half hour as Di'Shon Bernard inadvertently deflected another Pulisic strike past keeper Andre Blake to put the home side two goals ahead. Ricardo Pepi made it 3-0 before the break, before ex-Everton and Leicester City winger Demarai Gray pulled one back for the Reggae Boyz just eight minutes into the second period.

Three minutes later Weah scored a fourth for the US, bringing down Yunus Musah's cross inside the penalty area before emphatically striking into the top corner. Gray pounced on a rebound to reduce the deficit once more with 22 minutes remaining, but it wasn't enough to stop the US advancing to the semi-finals 5-2 on aggregate.

Speaking to Sports Max, Jamaica head coach and former England manager McClaren, said: “We concede that they were the better team. In the first half, we were passive defensively, and we didn’t deal with the ball well. They punished us in transition, caused problems in the build-ups, and three goals made it a mountain to climb.

“We could have folded at half-time, but we didn't. I told the players we had to win the second half. We changed the shape, personnel and attitude, and we were more aggressive. That gave us opportunities and we scored, but we were always vulnerable on the transition, and then the fourth goal was a kick in the teeth.

"But still, we came back. I mean, that's character, that's courage, and that's what the team has got, so we have to build on that by being tactically and technically better because that's what the USA were. We want to build a team that can deal with the ball under pressure. That’s modern football. The principles are you have to be aggressive, you have to defend properly, and you have to be able to deal with the ball.

“That is what our strength normally is; we are aggressive, we defend well, but we need to improve in being able to deal with the ball better, build from the back better, with more composure, and have more courage, which we showed in the second half. The USA pressed aggressively, and we didn’t handle it well enough, but that’s a lesson we’ll take forward. This process is ongoing. Sometimes things work, and sometimes they don’t. But we learn, adapt, and move forward.

"I believe in this team and in our ability to achieve something special. The real test is against the top teams, and we’ve come up short, but these are the games where we learn the most about our weaknesses and what we need to improve. We’ve used 37 players across three camps, experimenting and identifying talent. It doesn’t bode well for consistency, but it’s vital for the bigger picture. We need players who can defend, press, and deal with the ball under pressure.”