Fearless Reggae Boyz to spoil Canadian party
Published:Sunday | March 27, 2022 | 12:10 AMDaniel Wheeler - Staff Reporter
Fearlessness, commitment and desire.
Those are the three traits that national interim head coach Paul Hall would like to see displayed as Jamaica look to cause an upset in their final road game of the World Cup qualifying campaign against Canada, the current leaders in the Concacaf region.
The Reggae Boyz will kick off against the Reds at 3:05 p.m Jamaica time at the BMO Field in Toronto, hoping to delay Canada’s march towards World Cup qualification.
Despite losing to Costa Rica 1-0 on Thursday, the Reds are still in first place with 25 points and can secure a World Cup automatic berth with a win, which would be the country’s first in 37 years. Their nearest challengers, the United States (US) and Mexico, are tied with 22 points, although the US are in second place because of a better goal difference.
To delay the celebrations, Jamaica will have to overturn their fortunes as they have never won a game against Canada on their home turf, with six losses and two draws in their last eight attempts.
While Hall has acknowledged that the process towards building for the future will take time, he insists that he wants to see the same grit and fight displayed in their 1-1 draw against El Salvador on Thursday.
COMMITMENT AND TOGETHERNESS
“Going somewhere like Canada, I came out of the changing room to a group of players who are together. A group of players that showed commitment on that pitch. All I ask them for was commitment and togetherness and they showed that. If I am being honest with you, the answer to that question is the same again,” Hall said.
“I’m looking for togetherness. I am looking for bravery to get those boys believing in themselves and each other. They played like a family (against El Salvador) and that is what I want them to do.”
The Reggae Boyz’s last five meetings against Canada which span back to 2015 have been favourable with three wins, one defeat and one draw. The draw came from a World Cup qualifier in October.
However, the Canadians, in this World Cup cycle, have been the form team, going unbeaten in their qualifying run before a 1-0 loss on Thursday. Additionally, they have yet to lose a game at home this year, with five straight wins, scoring 12 goals, conceding only two.
Jamaica’s road form in this campaign has been slightly better than their home form, having picked up five points in six games compared to the three they have accumulated at the National Stadium from six tries. Their only win of the campaign came in Honduras, their first in San Pedro Sula.
Hall lamented the fact that he could not introduce some of the young players that were called up for the team in the El Salvador game but nevertheless is still confident in their abilities should the situation present itself.
“I’ve got so much faith in those young players because they are really bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and they have really breathed a breath of fresh air into the squad,” Hall said.
Jamaica are in seventh place in the eight-team table with eight points.