SANTA CLARA, Calif. _ When the final whistle sounded on Wednesday's CONCACAF Gold Cup final, Bruce Arena pumped his fist, then turned to his assistants and smiled.
As celebrations go it was a muted one, especially since Arena was commemorating more than just a win. He was making history as well.
With the U.S. beating Jamaica, 2-1, Arena became the first coach to win the continental championship three times. And he did it on a goal by Jordan Morris with less than two minutes left in regulation.
Jozy Altidore scored the other U.S. goal in the final minute of the first half. Jamaica's lone score came early in the second half from Je-Vaughn Watson.
The Jamaicans promised to play a defensive game and they kept their word, even after losing goalkeeper Andre Blake, who has been spectacular in this tournament, with more shutouts (3) than goals allowed (2).
The U.S. tested Blake for the first time in the 19th minute when Altidore blasted a right-footed shot from about 25 yards, forcing Blake to make a leaping two-handed save. The rebound spilled out toward midfielder Kellyn Acosta, who arrived at the ball about the same time the keeper did, accidentally kicking him and mangling a finger on Blake's right hand.
Blake, who plays in MLS for the Philadelphia Union, remained on the turf in front of the Jamaica net for several minutes before slowly walking toward the sideline to be replaced by Dwayne Miller, who hadn't played in a month.
Yet he proved just as spectacular as Blake.
Altidore was also the first to test Miller, taking a free kick following a foul drawn by Michael Bradley in the final minute of the first half. Starting from almost the same spot where he took his first shot, Altidore bent a right-footed attempt toward the left post, just under the keeper's outstretched fingers and just off the underside of the crossbar.
It was a perfect shot, one Miller had little chance on. It was also the second set-piece goal in as many games for the U.S.
Jamaica would get their second five minutes into the second half, when Kemar Lawrence's long corner kick found Watson near the far post and the midfielder redirected the ball in between Tim Howard and the goal frame.
The score was the first allowed by Howard in the tournament. It was also the last.
The U.S. nearly got it back in the 64th minute but Paul Arriola's header died in Miller's arms. A couple of minutes later Bradley bent two corner kicks in on the Jamaica net but Miller gathered both in.
And on it went, with Miller deflecting a hard shot from Morris over the net in the 73nd minute, one-handing a Clint Dempsey header off the post then picking the ball out of a wild scramble in front of his net following a Dempsey free kick in the final five minutes of regulation time.
Howard, rarely tested at the other end, was able to stretch out and get his right leg on a shot by Darren Mattocks in the 80th minute to keep the game tied.
Eight minutes later Morris broke the tie, adding a Gold Cup title to the NCAA title he won with Stanford two years ago and the MLS crown he won with the Seattle Sounders last fall.
When Arena was hired to head the national team for a second time eight months ago, he was tasked primarily with righting a sinking ship and rescuing a World Cup qualifying campaign that became imperiled under former coach Jurgen Klinsmann.
That mission has largely been accomplished. But Arena hasn't backed off, padding the most impressive resume in U.S. Soccer history by running his Gold Cup record to an all-time-best 18-1-4 while going unbeaten in 14 matches since returning to the national team in November.
With a couple of more qualifying wins this fall, he'll become the first American to coach in three World Cups.
Jamaica, meanwhile, is experiencing history of a different kind. Although the Caribbean nation is the first country, other than Mexico or the U.S., to play in successive Gold Cups, Wednesday's loss also made it just the second team to lose consecutive finals.
