DANGEROUS TIMES

BEFORE THE Reggae Boyz beat Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 in the National Stadium on September 9, the teams had avoided each other in Concacaf World Cup action for nearly 25 years.

Now, nearly 30 years since the Reggae Boyz went to the World Cup, and 19 years since Trinidad and Tobago joined the globe’s showpiece football event, the two meet in a potentially life-changing 90 minutes at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in the twin-island republic. The game begins at 7 p.m.

There have been skirmishes hear and there, of course — in the 2014 Caribbean Cup for instance, and the games have, for the most part, been a battle.

Reggae Boyz head coach Steve McClaren has certainly not been around for all of it, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know the rich history of the rivalry.

Recently, those skirmishes have become more common, and that has given McClaren insight into what could be very dangerous opposition.

Jamaica lead Group B of Concacaf World Cup Qualifying, but only just.

On nine points, they find themselves just a point ahead of Curacao, who play against winless Bermuda and are expected to manufacture three points.

That puts Jamaica in a situation where they could go into their final qualifier at the National Stadium needing to overhaul Curacao to earn a berth at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which for the first time will boast 48 teams.

“This is also a must-win game for us,” McClaren said simply during a pre-match press conference yesterday.

“I know everyone looks at the points, but everywhere we go, we come to win,” he added.

Doing that isn’t a given though.

“I’ve got to say, we’ve come across Trinidad & Tobago many times now. And they’re improving every game. They’re getting better and better,” said the Reggae Boyz coach.

Trinidad and Tobago’s position is even more precarious. If they fail to win, they’re out. The twin-island republic have five points, four shy of Jamaica and with just a game to go after this one, have to close the gap.

According to McClaren, Trinidad have players who can change a game in a heartbeat, and that means his Reggae Boyz must defend well.

“If we don’t defend well, then we risk the chance of losing. Once we do that, hopefully … . We also have good players, individual players that can win a game and turn a game.

“We know that an improving, very good Trinidad team can stop us tomorrow.”

Trinidad and Tobago coach Dwight Yorke also sees the diminishing of the gap between the teams and believes that his side’s home record will provide a boon.

”We’ve got a fantastic record here, certainly under my reign, and we’re looking to try and add to that. We know Jamaica is not going to be pushed over by any means. We need to be at our best.

“We’re showing that we have closed the gap on Jamaica, despite the result of the last game. But we feel, as a team, as a unit, that we can get a victory here come Thursday.”

Of course, the elephant in the room is how will the passage of Hurricane Melissa impact the Reggae Boyz.

On the one hand, it could serve as motivation to do well, and on the other, the worry over struggling loved ones could distract a team chasing history.

“So there’s many, many people who have suffered in the last 10 days, two weeks. And it will take a long while before the island gets back to normal. And as I say, all we can do is our part in that.

“And we’ve said in every game, there’s nothing better than to put a smile on the Jamaican faces. Because the Jamaicans, when they smile, they light up the world.”

Jamaica most recently secured a 4-0 rout of Bermuda with strikes from Bobby De Cordova-Reid, Shamar Nicholson, Dujuan Richards, and an own goal. Nicholson struck his seventh career goal in the qualifiers, marking the first time he has scored five goals in a single campaign. Nicholson also tied the legendary Theodore Whitmore for third place among Jamaica’s all-time scorers in World Cup Qualifying.

This will be the 49th all-time encounter between the Caribbean rivals, with Jamaica leading the series with 21 wins to 15 from Trinidad and Tobago, and 12 draws.