Reggae Boyz hunt rare win in Honduras friendly
Published:Tuesday | October 11, 2011 | 12:00 AM
A four-match losing streak is the big talking point. However, the Reggae Boyz coaching staff appear more concerned with identifying talent to fit into their squad for the important World Cup qualifying assignments that will begin in September next year.
Today, Jamaica's senior men's football team will tackle both issues when they face Honduras in a friendly international in Tegulcigalpa at 8 p.m. Jamaica time.
Since a CONCACAF Gold Cup 2-0 quarter-final shutout against the United States at Washington's RFK Stadium in June, the Reggae Boyz have gone on to lose to China (1-0), Ecuador (5-2) and Colombia (2-0) in tough away fixtures.
The Central Americans, on the other hand, lost just at the weekend, going down 1-0 to the United States, in a bruising friendly fixture on Saturday night at the Sun Life Stadium in Miami.
Regardless, the team's head coach, Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore, says as much as they want to develop a winning habit, they will not feel pressured to deliver a positive result in the warm-up fixture.
"There is no pressure, we are building our our team for that (World Cup) campaign and we are going to come against tough opponents. So we will lose some and we will win some, so we have to be patient and take it from there," Whitmore said after a team training session ahead of their departure from Kingston.
"Nobody wants to lose, especially with a federation like ours where we want to stay up in the FIFA rankings so that we can get quality games," he added.
The Jamaicans are ranked 45th in the FIFA rankings, while the Hondurans are rated 53rd.
Last time both teams met, in group play at the Gold Cup, Jamaica came out 1-0 winners on the back of a scorching left-footer from striker Ryan Johnson inside the Red Bulls Arena in New Jersey.
Best displays
For much of that game, practically all of the opening 45 minutes, the Jamaicans bossed the play with some slick play as they put on one of the best displays for quite some time.
In that game, Whitmore had made a host of changes to his starting eleven as the team had already qualified for the second round of the Gold Cup. Midfielders Keammar Daley, JeVaughn Watson and Damian Williams, who are numbered among this Jamaica squad, were influential members of that changed team that ran rings around Honduras for the opening hour.
Luis Suarez, the Honduras coach, hasn't forgotten what the Boyz did then.
"Jamaica is at a great level," Suarez said through an interpreter after the US game.
"(I) know Jamaica from the Gold Cup and I know Jamaica is much better (now). They were a problem in the last Gold Cup ... I respect Jamaica, respect the players, the coaches, and we hope to do better."
Despite the brilliance paraded that night, that combination has never been assembled again and will not get the opportunity this time, with many different players rostered for this encounter.
Among them are Marvin Elliott, Marcus Bean and Nathan Smith, the newest band of British recruits seeking a place in Whitmore's World Cup group.
There are also core members of the group like Shavar Thomas, Jermaine Taylor, Demar Phillips, Jason Morrison, Richard Edwards, Rodolph Austin, Dane Richards, Omar Cummings, Luton Shelton and goalkeeper Dwayne Miller.
Shelton is battling an injury and remains uncertain, which means dangerous front-line duo Cummings and Richards should lead the attacking force.
"Against Honduras, as always, we expect a good performance from the team," said Whitmore, noting that a heavy part of their focus will be on ball possession.
"In international football you cannot give away the football too much, and especially in the last couple of games that we have played, we have seen a lot of turnovers, so that is something we have to correct going forward," said Whitmore, who will be looking to continue moulding his team for next year's important qualifiers, as well as winning the big talking point by ending the four-game losing streak.