Guatemala 1 - United States of America 1; Antigua and Barbuda 0 - Jamaica 0

Antigua and Barbuda, looking to make a splash in their first home match in a CONCACAF Third Round, welcomed the Reggae Boyz of Jamaica to North Sound.  The Benna Boys nearly took the lead, but leading goalscorer Peter Byers had no clue that a nice ball had been played to his feet in the six-yard box, and Byers nearly tripped over the ball as he took a meek shot.  Antigua were better over the whole of the half, but they could not move the scoreboard away from 0-0.

Antigua continued to be the better side and had the lion's share of the ball.  Six minutes in, Demar Phillips nearly own goaled for Jamaica, but the gods decided to spare him.  Just beyond the hour mark, a Tamarley Thomas cross beat the entire Jamaican defense but sailed just one centimeter too high for an open Randolph Burton to head home an opener.  Three minutes later a Jevaughn Watson pass against the run of play found Luton Shelton, who fired a shot into the near post that let Antigua off the hook.  Byers had a couple more chances go begging later in the match.  The match finished 0-0, so Antigua record their first ever positive result against Caribbean powers Jamaica.

The United States of America entered tonight's dance with Guatemala on a seventeen-match unbeaten streak against the Chapines, and that run would stretch to eighteen today.  The crowd in Guatemala City was given plenty to cheer in the opening minutes by forward Mario Rodriguez, but none of his various efforts resulted in goals for the Chapines.  It took forty minutes, but the USA were able to finally get a ball into Clint Dempsey.  The Texan then calmly dodged two defenders whose slide tackles came up empty in the box.  At this point Dempsey slotted home underneath the goalkeeper to give the Yanks a tenuous 1-0 lead at halftime.

In the second half, the game continued to be quite closed.  Marco Pappa had come off the bench for the Chapines, and he was a difference maker.  At the midway point of the half, he hit a wicked shot that was blocked away by American goalkeeper Tim Howard and into the path of Carlos Ruiz, who then skied the rebound shot.  Eleven minutes from time, the USA were in on goal after Dempsey had snuck a through ball for Jozy Altidore as Dempsey was being fouled, but the referee decided to stop play instead of playing the advantage, a foolish decision considering Altidore had only the goalkeeper to beat.  The reprieve reawakened Guatemala.  Carlos Figueroa (pictured, white) forced a good save from Howard, but Pappa finished the job with a finely taken free kick that curled over the USA wall and under Howard's crossbar.  The final score is 1-1.

USA 4 pts +2
Jamaica 4 pts +1
Guatemala 1 pts -1
Antigua 1 pts -2

Goals
United States of America
Clint Dempsey 40

Guatemala
Marco Pappa 83

Match Reports:
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20120613/sports/sports1.html
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/soccer/06/12/us.guatemala.ap/index.html?sct=hp_t2_a2&eref=sihp
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/grant_wahl/06/12/us.guatemala.three.thoughts/index.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBgCzUtSo2U (Antigua v. Jamaica)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98tJmnmeWmA (Guatemala v. USA)