Real opportunity

“THIS ISN’T a group of local players, this is the Reggae Boyz.”

Those were the words of Reggae Boyz head coach Steve McClaren ahead of an international friendly against Trinidad and Tobago today at the Montego Bay Sports Complex.

The squad is made up of all local players because the games do not fall in an international window, but, according to McClaren, the Reggae Boyz contingent should not see themselves as any different from the more regular players in the pool when they take to the field at 7:30 tonight.

McClaren believes his previous actions should indicate to the players that they have as good a chance as any to become more consistent parts of the squad.

“I saw [Jahshaun] Anglin for, I don’t know, 45 minutes – the second half of one game in the Concacaf cup, and I saw Tyreek Magee on video about 10 minutes, and I picked them straight away. So it’s about individuals impressing and hopefully being part of the squad going forward,” said the coach.

McClaren also pointed out that, with the World Cup qualifiers and Gold Cup prelims looming, while he is pleased with the progress of the team he has had at his disposal, there are areas down for improvement and the team that takes the field this evening should take advantage of that.

“There’s still a lot of things to improve, both individually [and as a team]. Can better players break into the squad? This is why this group is together,” he added.

Continuing on the point, McClaren pointed to the examples of Shaquan Davis, Richard King, and Kaheim Dixon, as players who grabbed opportunities to show what they have.

“Who’s the next one? You’ll be the next one. It’s up to you.”

Trinidad and Tobago head coach Dwight Yorke sees the pair of fixtures, the second of which takes place at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex on Sunday at 8 p.m., much in the same way as his more experienced counterpart.

“The experience of going to Jamaica and playing in difficult surroundings can only improve them,” said Yorke in an interview with wired868.com.

To that end, Yorke has included two teenagers in the squad, Lindell Sween and Derrel Garcia.

“So, part of the journey for the current national team is to integrate these younger players like Sween and Garcia,” said Yorke.

Garcia is a 17-year-old student at St Benedict’s College, while the 18-year-old Sween plays for Morvant Caledonia United.

Yorke, Trinidad and Tobago’s most successful footballer of all time, also started playing for country as a teenager and is hoping to see the same type of development with the two youngsters.

“Those two players remind me of when I started playing football for the national team,” said Yorke.

“Obviously, I started playing [senior football] earlier than (Garcia at 17 years old), but it reminds me that we do have talent. Sweenie is also a young talent that I like.”