U.S. men's soccer team falls to 56th-ranked Jamaica

June 6 (UPI) -- The United States Men's National Team lost a friendly match to Jamaica, the No. 56 team in the FIFA World Rankings, ahead of the Gold Cup.

Jamaica earned the 1-0 triumph on Wednesday at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. Jamaican substitute Shamara Nicholson scored the only goal of the match, beating U.S. men's team keeper Zack Steffen in the 60th minute.

"Overall, the effort was OK, but we performed poorly tonight," team coach Gregg Berhalter told reporters.

The U.S. team is ranked No. 24 in the world. Wednesday's loss was the first setback for the team since Berhalter was named coach in January. The men had three wins and one draw under the new coach entering Wednesday's friendly.

Nicholson's decisive tally was his first career international goal. The screamer came after Nicholson received a pass from defensive midfielder Kevon Lambert about 40 yards from the goal. Nicholson tapped the ball around a defender before clearing some space for a shot.

He struck a 25-yard shot with his right boot, placing the rip in the top left corner of the goal, past a diving Steffen.

The USMNT battles Venezuela in another friendly at 2 p.m. on Sunday at Nipper Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. Allianz Field in Minnesota will play host to the USMNT's first Gold Cup game. The USMNT battles Guyana in the group stage of the CONCACAF tournament at 10 p.m. on June 18 in Saint Paul.