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Having settled into his role as Reggae Boyz head coach, Steve McClaren said he is excited ahead of his managerial debut in the Concacaf Gold Cup set to begin in June.
Jamaica have been drawn in Group C of the Gold Cup where they will face off against Panama, Guatemala and Guadeloupe for a spot in the knockout rounds.
McClaren said while several players in the national programme would have already experienced the regional competition, he is ready to test his mettle against several of the best teams Concacaf has to offer.
“First and foremost about the excitement of the tournament, I’ve heard a lot about the Gold Cup and I can’t wait to experience that,” he said in an interview after the group draw.
“I know other players have but myself and majority of the UK staff, we wouldn’t have experienced it, so it’s a new one for me and I look forward for that.”
Jamaica will open their campaign against Guatemala on June 16 before taking on Guadeloupe on June 20.
The Boyz will end their group stage campaign when they face off against Panama on June 24.
With the teams and schedule set, McClaren warns it will not be smooth-sailing for the Boyz as he expects a tough fight from all three teams.
“I was looking forward to the draw and one thing I’ve learnt since taking the job in the Caribbean is that there are no easy games. We don’t expect an easy game. The 16 teams that got through, we’ve looked at them all and there is not one you can say will be easy.”
However, before the Boyz begin their quest in the Gold Cup, they will first take on the Unity Cup in May and their June World Cup Qualifying fixtures.
McClaren said these games will help in building the team’s momentum ahead of the Gold Cup and will be used as preparation for the regional competition.
“This is an opportunity where we can get the players together for a lot longer, embed our principles and get our way of playing and nail that down,” he explained.
“We’re trying to get some rhythm and momentum from the Unity Cup and World Cup Qualifiers going into the Gold Cup.”
This will be Jamaica’s 16th appearance in the Gold Cup with their best finish coming in 2015 and 2017 when they finished as runners-up.
English (US) ·