Whitmore ‘disappointed’ by Boyz’s draw
A VERY disappointed national senior men’s football team head coach, Theodore Whitmore, has blamed the lack of concentration in their defensive unit for the Reggae Boyz’ 1-1 draw against El Salvador in their Concacaf World Cup qualifying match on Friday at the Estadio Cuscatlán in San Salvador, El Salvador.
Striker Michail Antonio gave the Reggae Boyz the lead in the 82nd minute with his first international goal. However, an Alex Roldan header in the 90th minute halted Jamaica’s quest for back-to-back wins in the competition.
“I am thankful for the point, but very disappointed that we didn’t get all three,” said Whitmore, following the team’s arrival at the Norman Manley International Airport yesterday.
“We conceded in the last couple minutes of the game because I don’t think we managed the game properly, especially at the end. So there are a number of things that we have to look at going forward,” he said.
This is the second time in the Concacaf Hexagonal qualifiers that the Reggae Boyz were conceding in the closing moments of the game. This after they gave up an 89th minute goal away to Mexico in a 2-1 defeat at The Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
“If you look at the Mexico game, we should have gotten a point from that game and we gave it away at the end. And, if we look at last night’s game (Friday), we dropped two points and so it is something that we seriously have to look at moving forward,” Whitmore said.
The Reggae Boyz remain in sixth place in the eightteam final round, with sixth points from seven games, five points off fourth-placed Panama.
Jamaica will face the United States in their next encounter on Tuesday at the National Stadium. The match is one of five home games for the Jamaicans in their remaining seven games in the competition.
MUST-WIN GAME
The Jamaicans’ home record in the competition is not what Whitmore said he would have liked, with defeat against Panama before drawing against Canada.
He pointed out that Tuesday’s match is a must-win for the Reggae Boyz because it is very important that they secure all three to improve their chances of qualifying for the World Cup.
“Everything is in our hands because we have a game to play and, this US game, we have to get three points and that is where we are looking at the moment,” Whitmore said.
“It is a plus to have these games at home, but we are not doing well at home because most of our points that we get is on the road,” he said. “It is a concern for us and it is for us as the technical team to see how best we can come up with the right master plan to get past the US team,” said Whitmore.