Pre-tournament expectations appeared to get a resounding endorsement from the first results in Group C of the 2017 CONCACAF Men's U-17 Championship. The USA is one of the favorites to win the tournament, and that status was confirmed by the 5-0 win over Jamaica the team delivered in its opening match.
The USA was initially defied by a stubborn and determined Jamaica side that didn't have a lot of success at getting the ball out of its own half but defended resolutely for the first half.
A match report based entirely on the first 45 minutes would have heaped praise on Jamaica captain and goalkeeper Tajay Griffiths, who saved a penalty as part of a sterling effort to keep his team in the game.