1 week ago
5
REGGAE BOYZ head coach Steve McClaren said the 26 players selected for the final two games of the Concacaf World Cup Qualifiers are those who have earned his trust.
McClaren was speaking yesterday at a Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) press conference where he named his squad for the upcoming qualifiers against Trinidad and Tobago and Curacao.
The Reggae Boyz boss explained with two games left, and a slim margin of error, he decided to turn to players who have earned his trust and have proven their loyalty to the national programme.
“Eighteen months ago, on the first day, the goal was qualification for the World Cup,” McClaren said.
“In that time we’ve used a lot of players but we’ve always had a core of players who’ve been regular, been in every camp and every game with us.
“What I’ve tried to do is I’ve picked 26 players, and included in that, are players who have played from day one,” he continued.
“I’m sure of their loyalty to Jamaica, to come into the camps, and their willingness to want to achieve the goal, which is World Cup qualification.
“That’s why I picked the players that I picked. They’ve been in from day one. I trust them and they trust me. We all know what we want from each other.”
McClaren has also avoided bringing too many new players into the squad, as he explained the team needs familiarity and cohesion more than ever.
Brentford defender Rico Henry is the only new addition to the national programme, having been listed in the JFF’s watchlist ahead of the qualifiers.
McClaren said the upcoming window is not one to experiment with the team’s tactics, but rather, to trust the work he has been doing since his appointment last year.
“It’s very difficult to introduce new players now or try different things. I don’t think now is the time to do that,” he explained.
“I think we have to bet down our principles, what we’ve been trying to do and these games are all about attitude, fight, and the will to win.”
He added, “We have to have more will than anybody to win, and also, with God’s will, that will happen.”
Jamaica will face Trinidad and Tobago on November 13 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, before hosting Curacao at the National Stadium on November 18.
The Boyz lead Group B with nine points, ahead of Curacao, eight, and Trinidad and Tobago, five.
Bermuda, the remaining team in the group, sit rooted at the foot of the table without a point and out of contention for a qualifying spot.
Only the group leader will qualify for the World Cup, with the top two second-placed teams in the round advancing to the intercontinental playoffs.
McClaren said he will not need to impress the importance of the upcoming games to his players, as they already know what’s at stake.
“The motivation has been there from day one,” he said. “We said this 18 months ago, everybody’s goal was World Cup qualification, and we’re now on the brink.
“We’ve had ups and downs, we’ve had success, we’ve had failures, disappointments, high and lows and it all boils down to this.”
He added, “They know the importance. They know more than us. We don’t need to pile any more pressure on them.”
Jamaica are looking to qualify for only their second-ever World Cup, having made their debut in France 1998.
FULL SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Andre Blake, Jahmali Waite, Tafari Chambers
Defenders: Joel Latibeaudiere, Ethan Pinnock, Richard King, Dexter Lembikisa, Gregory Leigh, Damion Lowe, Rico Henry, Mason Holgate, Ian Fray
Midfielders: Isaac Hayden, Bobby Reid, Jonathan Russell, Karoy Anderson, Jahshaun Anglin
Attackers: Bailey Cadamarteri, Shamar Nicholson, Rumarn Burrell, Demarai Gray, Kaheim Dixon, Renaldo Cephas, Tyreece Campbell, Warner Brown, Dujuan Richards
English (US) ·