Andre Blake positive of Boyz’s chances vs USA
AUSTIN, Texas — Reggae Boyz Captain Andre Blake is convinced his team can walk away from the Q2 Stadium today with something positive from the World Cup qualifier against the United States.
Blake, the outstanding Philadelphia Union goalkeeper in Major League Soccer, says though it is possible, each member of the team has to give of his very best to achieve the target.
“We are building, I have no doubt. I know what we are capable of doing, it’s just to get everybody on the same page and everybody motivated at all times to go out there and do what is necessary,” Blake told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.
“We have shown what we can do and the guys know what they can do, but we have to show up and do it, so that’s the challenge right now, to keep everybody laser-focused and to understand that it is not impossible but it is going to take a lot of hard work, dedication and commitment, and again the fight, and hopefully we can build on the last effort against Costa Rica.”
The Boyz have so far lost two games and drawn their last away to Costa Rica in the September window. In their first game they held hosts Mexico at the Azteca Stadium 1-1 until in the dying moments when they gave up the winning goal. They then lost embarrassingly at home 0-3 to Panama in a disjointed display, before a more encouraging performance in Costa Rica.
They have slumped to last place in the eight-team standing on one point, as Mexico lead with seven, followed by Canada, US and Panama on five points, with Costa Rica, Honduras and El Salvador on two points each.
But Blake believes that if the Boyz are to turn around their fortunes, it has to start in this window of three games against the US, Canada and Honduras.
“We can get a point, we can get three points, I strongly believe that. If we bring our ‘A’ game, there is no doubt that we can walk away from this game with something, whether it’s one point or three points, but again everybody will have to be zoned in,” the captain insisted.
He also adopted a philosophical view on what transpired in the three games in September.
“The last three games we didn’t do as well as we could, I think everybody knows that. There is nothing we can do about those games now. They are gone, they are in the past, but what we do have is a chance to make the best of these next three games.
“We are going to take them one step at a time so the main focus is going to be on Thursday, and then we go from there to Canada and Honduras, so it is important now for us to start gathering points and to take a point on the road is very crucial and we must target to win our home games and we are going to have to win at least one or two games on the road because we dropped three points at home and we have to make up.”
The captain says as players they all know the task at hand and along with his teammates here, they are ready and are going out there to fight.
Regarding the late withdrawal of players at this critical juncture, Blake conceded that could create a negative environment but he insisted that “we are professionals and we have to learn to deal with different things, but for me no matter what you are given, even though you would want to be put in the best position to go out there and give your best, we can’t use that as an excuse.
“The show must go on even if it is 11 of us. [It is] not ideal, but for me those things are distractions and if you dwell on it, it’s going to distract you, so we just have to use it as motivation, flip it and try to find some positives in it, keep that fire burning within and go out there and fight to the end,” he noted.