‘We know what we are facing’

JAMAICA’S REGGAE Boyz face archrivals Trinidad and Tobago in a crucial Group A Concacaf Gold Cup match at City Park this evening at 6:30.

Trinidad lead the group with three points after a 3-0 win over St Kitts and Nevis in their opening game, while Jamaica have just one point after playing to a 1-1 draw with the USA in their opener.

However, Reggae Boyz coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said the team was well aware of the rivalry between the nations and that they know defeat is not at option.

“A win for Trinidad get them through, so we know what we are facing and that we need to get a good result against them.

“We are just thinking about this match now and not too far ahead. We just want to go out and have a good performance and hopefully get a win. That is the only thing that we are thinking about at this stage of the tournament,” he said.

In a recent two-match friendly series, Hallgrimsson acknowledged that they not only failed to score against their Caribbean rivals but lost one of the contests and he anticipates that they will have another difficult outing this evening.

“We played two friendlies against them and didn’t score a goal and they have played matches leading up to this and have not conceded goals.

“We know it is going to be hard to break them down. So one of the keys is to be patient and continue knocking on the door without getting over-ambitious in what we are doing,” he stated.

Hallgrimsson believes the right mindest throughout the game is important as well, with memories of a tiring Reggae Boyz giving up a goal in the final minutes of their game against the US still fresh.

CORRECT MINDSET

“It is just switching on the correct mindset when we play a game like this. It is switching the mindset to what we will get in the match, and we will not get anything for free. We will face hard attackers and a lot of balls to fight for first and second balls.

“But in the end it is how you perform. The guys that have played this match in the past have been really helpful in how they have been. They have shared the experience and it is really good to have experienced guys in the group.

“But the most important thing in a game or tournament like this is to keep focused for 90 minutes, whatever the score is. It’s about keeping focus and keeping the energy levels up. So the biggest thing we have to emphasise with the players is keeping focus for 90 minutes.”

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com

Please see related story on B3