Crunch time for Boyz in qualifiers
FOOTBALL, MANY laugh, is a strange game, all because it has a whole bunch of people running away from their goals.
You see, football actually teaches many lessons and the logical side to that bit of humour reasons that the farther the ball is from one’s goal, it becomes increasingly difficult for two things; that they will not concede and that they will achieve the game’s ultimate goal, scoring.
Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz will be hoping to accomplish balance keeping the ball away from their defensive end while constantly chasing it the other way, to make up ground in October’s FIFA World Cup qualifying fixtures that begin on Thursday and end inside a week.
One point in three matches represents a terrible start, so Jamaica must capitalise on opportunities in difficult away fixtures to the United States and Honduras, and home versus Canada.
Obvious f rom its opening World Cup qualifying fixtures in September is they never went about selection properly.
Consequently, there was an out-of-whack performance i n one of the three games, involving what amounted to two different teams. One played matches away against Mexico and Costa Rica, and the other tackled Panama at the National Stadium.
CHAMPIONSHIP
At its core, the former squad consisted of players together in the Jamaica set-up for years, some dating back to 2015, in a period where they have made it to two Concacaf Gold Cup championship games, and ended in the runner-up spot; plus another top-four finish. So they would have been building for a nice period to have developed enough knowledge and understanding as a group, both on and off the field.
Also, three teams automatically qualify from Concacaf for the World Cup Finals. So there was proof of the team’s capability of earning one of those spots.
Jamaica lost the game in Mexico 1-2, after giving up an 89th-minute goal, and drew 1-1 at Costa Rica in a match they so dominated, especially in the second half, that they deserved to have won while scoring at least three goals.
The Jamaica team that played against Panama was different, loaded with United Kingdombased players who have been drafted since April and not had much opportunities to play together. Understandably, they lacked cohesion, looked totally put of sorts and were hammered 0-3 at home.
It’s generally what happens with ‘pick up’ teams. Regardless of the quality within, nine times out of 10 their play will be out of sync. And they will get nailed heavily as we’ve seen.
BIGGEST COMPETITION
Outside the competition itself, World Cup qualifying is the biggest competition for Jamaica. It is also the toughest.
This makes it i ncreasingly important that it remains void of experimentation anywhere close to the competition, as is the case that has now impacted the Reggae Boyz’poor standing, which is bottom of this Hexagonal.
So when they should have been fortifying preparation with a longdeveloped team at the Gold Cup and matches after, they were busy with try-outs.
At the heart of the problem is a decades long practice of granting England-based players a free pass into the national senior team.
In 1998 when Jamaica made its only World Cup Final appearance, a number of players like Marcus Gayle, Robbie Earle, Darryl Powell and Frank Sinclair were added to the squad, after the team had already qualified for the World Cup.
Some of these players had been invited to the Jamaica team before it had qualified for the World Cup Finals.
Interestingly, Jamaica’s squad included some other Englandbased players such as Deon
Burton, Fitzroy Simpson and Paul Hall, who is now the Reggae Boyz assistant coach.
This trio actually paid their own fare to get a trial with the Jamaica team. And they were well accepted by the country’s people. They also played on in the Jamaica shirt well beyond France. It meant something deep to them.
There are players like Adrian Mariappa who has been representing Jamaica since 2012 and puts up his hand at any and every given opportunity.
Take for instance Shamar Nicholson, who suffered a facial fracture in the last game for his Belgian club, Charleroi, against Brugge. Nicholson, who grew up playing through the Jamaica system, declared his availability instantly and is in the Reggae Boyz squad. He will play with a face shield.
For the same match, Preston North End’s Daniel Johnson has pulled out of the team. Johnson, who was born in Jamaica and migrated early to England, has represented the country six times since 2019. He picked up what has been described as a ‘minor injury’ against Queen’s Park Rangers. His club described the move as ‘precautionary’.
We must demand serious dedication and commitment to our national teams.
COMPETITION
Plus, we have to be fair to the players, and the country, by giving them a chance to develop team knowledge, familiarity and character away f rom serious competition like the World Cup. It is a two-way street.
For t oo many years, the situation of easy access especially to UK-based players has been perpetuated i n football, with no clear disparity in the quality of players. And, more t han everything else, it has inhibited the development of Jamaicans into the professional game and, by extension, national teams, with World Cup trial failures.
Other impacts include seriously important things like team spirit and motivating local players of the sport. There are opportunities in representing one’s country. Games like these open doors to the professional set-up, which is where we have best witnessed the growth of Jamaica’s players who have elevated through the system.
It is also a route to finance for families and country.
The Jamaica roster for the upcoming qualifiers, now at 23 as opposed to 35 last month, has much better balance in terms of experience playing together and allowing easier incorporation of players newly drafted.
It’s a situation where l ess means more, as three or four new players are easier to fit into a team, than pulling 10, 15 people from different ends and throwing them in to play together, regardless of pure talent and experience. It’s the playing together for a period, getting to know each other and their game, which is key.
What makes this more important is when players are drafted for international matches, there is no whole heap of time to train together, spend together. You fly in today, sometimes a day or two before a match, and you are on the move right after, back to your job, club football.
Whether playing for one’s club or with the Reggae Boyz, when running away from your goal, one expects providing the best opportunity for everybody on your team moving in that same direction. With understanding and dedication to a cause, it’s certainly easier to achieve that goal, which is limiting opportunities to concede, and most importantly, score.
Let’s get everyone moving in the same direction. It presents any and every chance to rejoin the race for Qatar 2022.