Whitmore upbeat despite 1-0 loss

Jermaine Lannaman, Gleaner Writer

Coach of the Reggae Boyz Theodore Whitmore says while he was not pleased with the result of the team's recent international against China, he was satisfied with the overall performance of the team, and this, he says, augurs well for the future.

The game, which was played on Wednesday in China, saw the 44th-ranked Jamaica going down 1-0 to the Chinese, who are ranked 73rd in the world.

"The result is not what we would have wanted, but given the circumstances of very late player arrivals and the monsoon weather conditions that affected the match, I thought the players, in general, gave a good account of themselves," said Whitmore.

ninth-minute goal

The game, which was Jamaica's first since their quarter-final finish at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, saw the Reggae Boyz surrendering a goal in the ninth minute to which they failed to find a response.

The team, however, was not the strongest possible, as due to varying reasons, including player unavailability due to injuries, a number of established and emerging players, such as Donovan Ricketts, Dane Richards, Demar Phillips, and Keammar Daley, did not participate.

This provided an opportunity for a number of local-based players, including debutante, young Harbour View striker Montrose Phinn, Waterhouse's Keneil Moodie, and Boys' Town's Xavian Virgo to show their worth and, according to Whitmore, they did.

local players

"A lot of local players got the chance to display themselves, and for this we, the coaching staff, are happy," he said.

"Phinn made his debut and was pleasing, while both Virgo and Moodie held their own.

"I now look forward to the next set of friendly internationals where these players, plus those who did not participate, can come together, as we continue to build in preparation for next year's World Cup qualifiers," he added. The next FIFA international date is in early September.

Meanwhile, Harbour View's Richard Edwards, another of the local-based players who participated in the match, said despite the trying conditions, Jamaica could have won the match.

"Rankings are just rankings. Yes, football teams around in the world, in general, are catching up. On a different day, and under different conditions, we could have beaten them," said Edwards.