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DESPITE THE friendly nature of the Unity Cup, a competition created to, as its name suggests, find common ground among countries from different backgrounds, Reggae Boyz head coach Steve McClaren is clear that winning is important.
Jamaica are set to take on African giants Nigeria in the final of the Unity Cup with kick-off set for 11 a.m. The fixture will be the second of the day with Trinidad and Tobago facing off against Ghana in the third-place match at 6:30.
Speaking in a pre-game interview yesterday, McClaren said the objective for the Boyz will always be to win.
“When you’re playing for Jamaica, there are no friendlies. You’ve got to win every game,” he said.
“That is what the fans demand, that’s what we demand and that’s what the players demand and that’s why they’re playing the competition.”
McClaren said the squad is in high spirits ahead of the Nigeria clash and the players are in better shape than they were for their first game.
He lamented the short space of time they had to prepare for the opening game against Trinidad and Tobago but praised the team’s performance under less-than-optimal conditions.
“We always want to win. It puts you in a better mood. We want to win and we’re in good spirits. I think we kind of built that over the week,” the Reggae Boyz boss explained.
“We were a little bit quiet at the beginning – only one day to prepare. I was a little bit sceptical about what we would do but I was pleased with them, especially the first-half performance.”
Jamaica’s meeting against Nigeria is expected to be a much sterner test than Tuesday’s match against Trinidad.
Having seen the Nigerians in action, McClaren praised his opponents for their skill and said it will be a strong test for the Boyz.
Jamaica have faced Nigeria six times in the programme’s history, winning only once with three draws and two defeats.
The last time the two teams met, they played out a scoreless draw in 2009, which was after a 2-0 win for Nigeria in the inaugural Unity Cup held in 2004.
“Nigeria were very strong with Premier League players – very good players. They were very well organised, very athletic, very strong and what I liked was the spirit that they showed,” McClaren said of his opponents.
“They fought together and played well together, so this is going to be a huge test for our players but one I am looking forward to seeing.”
The Reggae Boyz were also boosted by having their full complement of players available for today’s encounter.
The head coach was left wishing three of the players missing against Trinidad, who the Jamaicans edged 3-2 to get to the final, would be available in time for the second game.
He also explained this clash will be a great opportunity for several players to stake their claim in the squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers and the Concacaf Gold Cup.
“We have got quite a few who we are looking at. So if we can come out of the Unity Cup, two games, it is great experience.”
Eric Chelle, head coach of Nigeria, is expecting an entertaining contest as he described the Reggae Boyz as a “great team” ahead of kick-off.
“We want to win but the reality is that Jamaica is a great team with a great staff, great players. It will be a great game.”
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