1 month ago
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HEAD COACH of the Reggae Boyz Steve McClaren said they will need to be at their very best when they take to the Ergilio Hato Stadium to face Curaçao today in the final round of the Concacaf World Cup Qualifiers.
Jamaica are set to face Curaçao in a top-of-the-table clash at 6 p.m. Jamaica time in their third match of Group B action.
The Boyz lead the group with six points and a perfect record and Curaçao sit second with four.
Trinidad and Tobago are third with one point and Bermuda are rooted at the foot of the table without a point.
McClaren said the team would need to put in their best performance yet if they are to get all three points against a ‘strong’ Curaçao team.
“We have to be at our very best to get a result.
“It’s going to be difficult because as I’ve said, we’re one-third of the way through, and we have to keep the momentum going. We’ve gathered that momentum in terms of results, so we have to keep that going.”
Jamaica opened their campaign with a 4-0 drubbing of Bermuda before turning back Caribbean rivals Trinidad 2-0 at the National Stadium.
Meanwhile, Curaçao played out a scoreless draw against Trinidad in their first game before clipping Bermuda 3-2 in a tense affair.
BEST PLAYERS
McClaren said with several key players returning from injury, the team’s chances of leaving with all three points have received a major boost.
Andre Blake, Joel Latibeaudiere, Amari’i Bell, Ethan Pinnock and Bobby Reid have all returned to the squad having missed the September window due to injuries.
He described his 26-man squad as a strong team with the right mix of experience and young talents.
“Whatever squad we pick, it’s a strong squad, and whoever plays, we make sure we have to perform,” he said.
“Obviously you’ll need your best players. Curaçao are a very good team, and to do that, we need our best players possible.”
He continued: “We’ve also added some new younger talents. The squad is a bit more of mixture than the last squad, with more experience, and we also have some new players who we really want to bring into the national team.”
These new inclusions include teenager Seymour Reid and Inter Miami’s Ian Gray.
KEY INJURIES
However, they will be without the services of Demarai Gray, who pulled out of the squad due to an injury.
He has been replaced by Dujuan ‘Whisper’ Richards, who returned to the national programme after a lengthy absence due to injury.
McClaren said Gray’s withdrawal, while a massive blow, has opened the door for Richards’ return.
“Losing Demarai was a big blow. He was one of our best players, and he played really well for Birmingham, so we’re really disappointed but it gives somebody else the opportunity to come in, and Whisper has got that.”
The Reggae Boyz are not the only team to be missing one of their key creators as Curaçao will be without former Manchester United youth player Tahiti Chong, who had to withdraw from the squad through injury.
Chong, who made his debut in September, scored twice and assisted once in Curaçao’s 3-2 win over Bermuda.
In recent head-to-head clashes, Jamaica and Curaçao have a win each while their last match ended in a 1-1 draw. In June 2017, Curaçao clipped Jamaica 2-1 in the Caribbean Cup final, but the following month (July 9) Jamaica blanked Curaçao 2-0 in a Gold Cup round one match. The 1-1 draw came in round three of the Gold Cup in 2019.
In the other match of the group today, Bermuda host Trinidad at the Bermuda National Stadium. Both teams are looking for their first win of the final round to keep in close touch of the automatic qualifying spot for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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