Reggae Boyz on target

Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter

National senior football team head coach, Theodore Whitmore, has hinted that there could be spots available for young players who buckle down and take the opportunity, as the Reggae Boyz prepare for their friendly international against Costa Rica and the upcoming Digicel Caribbean Championship (DCC) Finals.

With Jamaica set to take on Costa Rica on the 17th of this month and kicking off their defence of the DCC a few weeks later in Martinique, Whitmore selected a youthful 22-man squad, which began preparations on Monday.

Despite being pleased with the way things have been going so far, especially as it relates to preparing for the Caribbean tournament finals, the coach admitted that there are a few areas he intends to straighten ahead of the competition.

Training session

"Things are on target as we prepare for the Costa Rica game," Whitmore told The Gleaner, following a training session on Tuesday at Stadium East.

"It's a continuation of where we left off," he said. "We have a lot of young players that are doing well in the Under-20 and there are a couple of positions that we are looking at and hoping to strengthen.

"If they (young players) are impressive, we will expect a few of them to make the transition," Whitmore added.

Among the players that have earned a call-up are former youth standouts Evon Taylor and O'Brian Woodbine, who were part of the national set-up under former technical director, René Simoes.

However, Whitmore, upon seizing the reins of the programme, subsequently dropped both players, who had struggled in key away fixtures, calling upon more experienced campaigners in the latter part of the campaign. But, based on their performance in the Digicel Premier League so far this season, the coach believes they have earned a second opportunity to impress.

"They (Taylor and Woodbine) have been doing well for their clubs this season. We spoke to their coaches and the feedback was positive, so therefore we thought it necessary to bring them back into the fold," Whitmore said.

"I have always said that the door is never closed for any player."