The U.S. national soccer team has qualified for the 2002 World Cup finals. A 2-1 victory over Jamaica on Sunday helped the United States reach the finals.
The U.S. team needed a victory, and attacked Jamaica from the start. Joe Max Moore delivered with a goal in the fourth minute on an assist by team captain Claudio Reyna. But Jamaica, which had no chance of qualifying coming into the game, did not give up. James Lawrance took advantage of a one on one break to equalize the score in the 14th minute.
The second half was physical, and the officiating was loose. But the United States got a break when a foul by Jamaica's Tyrone Marshall resulted in Joe Max Moore converting a penalty kick in the 81st minute, giving the United States the win.
Elsewhere in the region, Mexico and Costa Rica played to a scoreless draw, while Trinidad and Tobago beat Honduras, 1-0. That combination guaranteed the United States a berth in the 2002 World Cup finals in South Korea and Japan.