Qualifying structure won’t impede Boyz – Pundits
Published:Monday | July 27, 2020 | 12:25 AMDaniel Wheeler/Gleaner Writer
With Jamaica’s 2022 FIFA World Cup-qualifying path expected to be determined today, local pundits Michael Hall, Bradley Stewart and former national player Jermaine Johnson believe that any changes made will not put the Reggae Boyz at a disadvantage.
Concacaf is expected to meet with its membership this afternoon to approve the dates and the new structure the tournament will have. The start of the final round of qualifying, which was set for September, was suspended by FIFA because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hall says that the current crop of players has the ability to qualify, regardless of what new format is decided on today.
“I think that irrespective of what new format Concacaf tells its members is going to be the case, Jamaica has an excellent chance of certainly making it in the top three in Concacaf, based on the ability of the players,” Hall told The Gleaner. “I don’t think that we are going to be at any great disadvantage.”
Under the old format, Jamaica would have sealed its place in the final round by finishing in the top six in the region by the June deadline. The final round, commonly known as the ‘Hex,’ because it features six teams, would see three teams automatically qualify for the 2022 tournament in Qatar, with the fourth-place team competing in a continental play[off. While Hall says that Mexico would be a tough opposition as the best team in the region, he believes that the gap between themselves and the United States is closing.
USA NO LONGER A THREAT
“Mexico would remain the superpower in the region, but I think Jamaica has shown in recent times that the USA is no longer a bogey team for us, and can’t be considered to be any great distance ahead of us with respect to talent,” he said.
In May, Concacaf President Victor Montagliani had alluded to a possible expansion of the Hex because of the upheaval to the football calendar caused by the virus. Stewart, a former national assistant coach, says that should additional teams be added to the final round, the Reggae Boyz could still benefit from finishing fourth in the region.
“Let’s say they bring four groups of four teams, then based on where we are positioned, then it would suggest to me that they have to seed us in one of those groupings as a top-four team,” he said. “I would think that we would obviously get teams that are weaker than the other three teams that are ahead of us. So we’ll have a chance of qualifying as top of one of the those groups.
“If you have one big group, then the same thing, I think, will happen; that we must have a good chance, given how well we did in the Nations League and our history of playing in the last two Gold Cup tournaments.”
Johnson, who made 73 appearances for the Reggae Boyz, concurs that the changes should not affect their chances, and that the onus is on the team to ensure that they perform to their ability.
“We just need to keep focused, do the right things that are going to help us, and not worry about anything else,” he said. “Just stay on the right path [and] just play our football that we know we can play and get the goals.”