For the first time since 2003, the United States will miss the final of the Gold Cup, the biennial championship tournament of North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The United States, winner of three of the last five tournaments, fell to Jamaica, 2-1, in a surprising semifinal game Wednesday night in Atlanta.
It was a poor result for the United States, which saw its record against Jamaica drop to 13-2-8. After the game, Jamaica, the 76th-ranked team in the world, was awaiting the result of the other semifinal match between Mexico and Panama, which was played in the Georgia Dome later Wednesday.