Less than a week after the U.S. men’s national soccer team coasted to the Concacaf Nations League crown, an experimental American squad learned that defending its second regional title would not come so easily.
Fielding a largely second-string roster for the Gold Cup, North America’s long-running biennial championship, the United States needed a late equalizer from substitute Brandon Vazquez to open the tournament with 1-1 draw against Jamaica on Saturday night at Soldier Field in Chicago.
Damion Lowe, a defender for the Philadelphia Union, scored off a 13th-minute header as Jamaica moved to 3-19-10 all time against the United States.