Adams golazo, Jamaica’s finish among top moments

MIAMI, Florida – The 2023-24 Concacaf Nations League reached its conclusion on Sunday night in the Final with the U.S. topping Mexico 2-0 to claim their third straight Concacaf Nations League crown.

Here is a look back at the best moments from this past week’s Concacaf Nations League Finals at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Jamaica set record with fastest goal

The Reggae Boyz had already achieved a milestone by becoming the first Caribbean team to qualify for the Concacaf Nations League Finals and they wasted no time in carving out more history. Just 31 seconds into their semifinal with the U.S. last Thursday, Gregory Leigh scored to hand Jamaica a 1-0 lead. It was the fastest goal scored in CNL Finals history and just one second behind the fastest goal ever scored in CNL history when Weston McKinnie of the U.S. found the back of the net 30 seconds into a 2019-20 CNL group stage match against Cuba.

U.S. score in last second against Jamaica

It looked like the three-peat request for the U.S. was going to come to an end in that semifinal with Jamaica. Down 1-0 with just mere seconds remaining in second half stoppage time, a U.S. corner kick ended with Miles Robinson flicking on a header that resulted in a Jamaica own goal and a 1-1 scoreline. The U.S. went on to score twice in extra time through Haji Wright. The late U.S. equalizer was the epitome of how champions never give up until the end.

Alvarez leads Mexico over Panama

Edson Alvarez enjoyed a sparkling performance in the 2023-24 CNL by scoring some important goals for Mexico. His last-minute goal against Honduras in the quarterfinals led to a penalty shootout win and qualification to the CNL Finals. Alvarez then carried that momentum into Thursday’s semifinal with Panama, scoring on a header off a free kick to set the table for Mexico’s commanding 3-0 victory against the Canaleros.

Lembikisa secures Third for Jamaica

In their first CNL Finals appearance, Jamaica finished on the podium thanks to a 1-0 triumph over Panama in the Third-Place Match. Dexter Lembikisa was the hero of the day for the Reggae Boyz by scoring a left-footed scorcher in the first half to deliver the victory for Jamaica. It was Lembikisa’s first goal with the Jamaican Senior Men’s National Team and gave Jamaica their fourth all-time win against Panama and first since the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinals.

Adams golazo spurs USA to title

For the third straight time in the CNL Finals and for the second time in the Final, the U.S. and Mexico squared off and for the third time it was the U.S. emerging victorious. The 2-0 win for the U.S. completed the CNL three-peat, and it would not have been possible without the ‘golazo’ scored by MF Tyler Adams. With just seconds remaining in the first half of Sunday night’s Final, Adams unleashed a right-footed rocket that went blazing past Mexico GK Guillermo Ochoa and into net to give the U.S. the opening goal. Best Player Award winner Gio Reyna would tack on a second score in the second half, but it was the sizzling strike from Adams that will forever live in the memories of U.S. fans.