USA vs. Jamaica: Score and Reaction for 2017 Friendly

The United States scored its first victory of Bruce Arena's second tenure as head coach with a 1-0 triumph over CONCACAF rival Jamaica on Friday night at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Jordan Morris scored the only goal of the match in the 59th minute. The Seattle Sounders striker was one of the few bright spots on the attack for the Americans on a night when they dominated possession but lacked a finishing touch in the final third.

The match wraps up a January camp in which veterans like Graham Zusi sought to prove they deserve another chance in the international spotlight and young players such as Walker Zimmerman hoped to earn more caps when qualifying heats back up in the spring.

Total MLS summed up the U.S. win:

The United States played to a scoreless draw with Serbia on Sunday in Arena's first match in charge since 2006. The 65-year-old coach was seeking a much more well-rounded performance from the patchwork roster to complete the offseason showcase, per Doug McIntyre of ESPN FC.

"I'd like to see everything just a little bit better," Arena said. "Our speed of play, our defending rock solid—I thought it was pretty good the other day—a little bit more balance in the attack and obviously creating a few good chances. A victory would be nice, too."

Although the Americans controlled the pace of play for most of the first half, earning 72 percent of possession and generating six shots to Jamaica's two, the lack of finish remained evident. The only two quality chances before halftime came within moments of each other late in the opening 45 minutes.

Morris failed to convert a breakaway thanks to a nice stop from Reggae Boyz goalkeeper Andre Blake, and Sebastian Lletget whipped a left-footed effort just wide off the ensuing corner kick. Beyond that, there was a lot of wasted touches and passes by the U.S. side before the break.

U.S. Soccer highlighted Lletget's close call:

Brian Sciaretta of American Soccer Now examined his bright spots from the first half:

Thomas Floyd of Goal USA also mentioned the solid play of Benny Feilhaber:

The Americans finally broke the deadlock right before the hour mark.

It didn't initially look like a dangerous attack, with the U.S. working the ball around the perimeter. That changed the moment the Jamaican defense began to back off, however. It created a lane for Morris and Feilhaber to complete a couple of quick passes to set the Sounders star up for the goal.

U.S. Soccer spotlighted the long-awaited tally:

Last Word SC noted the goal ended an extended international drought for Morris:

Neither side managed to generate much offense over the final 30 minutes. The American midfield and back line deserve credit for quelling the few forays Jamaica managed to make in search of a draw. But the U.S. defenders were rarely tested throughout the match, which lived up to its friendly moniker.

All told, it's impossible to make any definitive statements about the direction of the United States under Arena based on a couple of friendlies at the end of a January camp. The roster was far from full strength, and the focus is still to install a new approach following the departure of Jurgen Klinsmann.

The lack of attacking pressure is a concern, though. The Americans tallied a single goal in qualifying losses to Mexico and Costa Rica back in November. Finding ways to create more consistent chances in the final third is essential if they want to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

Up next is a pair of qualifiers in March. The U.S. will play Honduras in San Jose, California, on March 24 before traveling to face Panama on March 28. Coming out of those two fixtures with at least four points would help the side start to dig out of its early hole in the Hex.

Post-Match Reaction

McIntyre provided Arena's initial thoughts about who stood out in Friday's victory:

More specifically, the head coach came to the same conclusion most people in attendance and watching on television probably did: Morris was the difference-maker.

"Jordan Morris has made a statement," Arena said, per Steven Goff of the Washington Post. "He is clearly a likely candidate for our camp in March."