Mission accomplished
Reggae Boyz’s assistant coach lauds performance in qualifying phase of Concacaf Nations League
Published:Tuesday | October 17, 2023 | 12:10 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
HAVING safely navigated their way successfully through the qualifying phase of the 2023 Concacaf Nations League, the Heimir Hallgrimsson-coached Reggae Boyz will now turn their attention to the quarterfinals of the competition after topping League A, Group B with ten points over Honduras who finished second with seven points.
The Reggae Boyz played four games and won three. The other game ended in a draw. Jamaica will face either Costa Rica or Canada in the next round.
Merron Gordon, assistant coach of the Reggae Boyz, speaking after the 3-2 win over Haiti on Sunday, said that it was ‘mission accomplished’ for the team as their plans heading into the last two fixtures were to collect the maximum points on offer.
“I think it is mission accomplished. We came into these two games wanting six points and to top the group and we did that. Sometimes over the two games we were rocky in terms of how we wanted to defend but offensively we got it right over the two legs,” he stated.
While the team scored 10 goals across the four fixtures, they conceded five and Gordon believes they must do better defensively as the team takes aim at their next opponents. He added that as a team the Reggae Boyz are jelling well, something which was started prior to the Gold Cup tournament.
“We just need to fix things defensively and move on to play either Canada or Costa Rica. I think the camaraderie started from the Gold Cup as we spent three weeks to a month to build the chemistry and philosophy that we wanted the guys to play, so I think we’re building as a team. If you come into our squad, you’ll see how happy we are and how we live as a family,” Gordon added.
PLEASED WITH PERFORMANCE
England-based striker Michail Antonio also believes the team is moving in the right direction and was pleased with the Boyz’s overall performance.
“I’m over the moon to be fair but I would been happier if I had managed to take one of my chances. To be fair, we finished top of the league which is what we set out to do before the Nations League even started,” he said.
Antonio added that he is also pleased with the attacking prowess of the team as the Reggae Boyz have enough ammunition to trouble any team, especially on the attacking end.
“We scored four goals against Grenada and three against Haiti so that shows the positive attack that we have. We score goals and you can see that we can change players and still get goals. Hopefully, we can get some clean sheets next but we defend and attack as a team,” Antonio explained.