Boyz ready for Moroccan challenge

Despite concerns about fitness, national senior men’s coach Merron Gordon says that members of the Reggae Boyz team are prepared to prove themselves at the international level when Jamaica face Morocco in a friendly today at 10 a.m. Jamaica time, at the Rudolf-Tonn-Stadion in Vienna, Austria.

The match is the opener of the four-team tournament which also features Ghana, and tournament organisers Qatar, who they play on Friday. The Reggae Boyz have had a longer preparation time than usual with the cancellation of Saturday’s scheduled opener against Ghana because of the latter’s late arrival to Austria for the tournament.

Gordon’s 27-man squad is mostly comprised of local-based players who are entering their respective pre-seasons for the upcoming Jamaica Premier League season and, although match fitness is an issue at this stage, Gordon said they are leaning on the intense training in Jamaica to give them a platform to work with.

“ I think that they are in fair condition. We know that the fitness is not where you want it to be before an international game but we kind of stopped concentrating on that and see how best we can move forward with the team,” Gordon said. “(Also to see) tactically how best we can approach the game, being that we are not at 100 per cent in terms of fitness. But the boys are doing well. They worked hard in Jamaica for eight days and, since they have been here (in Vienna), they have been working hard as well.”

Gordon, who is taking charge of the team in the absence of interim head coach Paul Hall, now has the full complement of his players since the arrival of veteran defender Adrian Mariappa on Sunday, and he says that his addition is critical in ensuring that the tactical discipline, especially on the defensive side, is enforced. Additionally, he says that the experience of players such as national goalkeeper Amal Knight will help guide the less experienced players in the demands required at the international level.

“Since Adrian came in, it has been going even better because international football is about tactical communication. And that comes, stems, from the back. We have people like Amal who has the experience and will help the team as well as Fabian McCarthy,” Gordon said “So we have been doing well and I think the boys are trying their best. Playing international football is more about how sound you are defensively more than anything else.”

Although the games are outside of a FIFA international window, Gordon says that they are not taking any member of the Moroccan team lightly, with his key focus being on the team’s organisation and on the players making a case for being a part of the long-term future of the squad.

Jamaica lost their only previous meeting against Morocco 1-0 in June 2000.

daniel.wheeler@gleanerjm.com