Players have a job to do – Damion Lowe
Published:Sunday | April 3, 2022 | 12:12 AMDaniel Wheeler - Staff Reporter
WHETHER OR not Paul Hall continues as national senior men’s head coach for the 2026 World Cup cycle, national defender Damion Lowe says the players have to shoulder the responsibility of making the Reggae Boyz competitive again.
Jamaica ended an unsuccessful World Cup campaign on Wednesday, finally winning a game at the National Stadium with the 2-1 defeat of Honduras. It was their second win of the campaign, completing the double over Honduras in this qualifying cycle.
Hall took over from Theodore Whitmore in December. Whitmore was sacked after a string of results that left the Reggae Boyz on the verge of elimination from contention for a place at the World Cup. But as a decision over Hall’s future looms, Lowe says that the players must have the winning mentally to produce regardless of who is chosen to lead the team.
“No matter which coach comes in, the job is the same, get three points and do my job. The Jamaica Football Federation and their administration will make their decision. But I’m sure that I share the same sentiments as my teammates. Gone are the days where players worry about who coaches the team,” Lowe told The Sunday Gleaner.
“We have the 90 minutes out there to get the job done. And once we do that we are going to qualify for the next World Cup and win the Nations League.”
A home win to end what has been a difficult campaign gave Lowe some optimism about their rebuilding process for the 2026 campaign.
BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD
“You saw the quality of players that were on the field [vs Honduras]. You see the quality of players that aren’t even a part of the squad for this round. So if we put everything together, the fight, the quality we should be fine. Now it’s just back to the drawing board with our clubs,” Lowe said.
The immediate future for Lowe and company will be League A of the Nations League which starts this summer. The draw for the Nations League will take place tomorrow.
Lowe said he has been pleased with the young players that were called up to represent the country during the March international window and is challenging them to continue their evolution as players.
“There is plenty of talent across the island. The more experienced players that we have, young, old it doesn’t matter,” Lowe said.
“Once there is an injury, [or persons] not available for selection, guys can fill in and it’s normal. For now, the guys who are here, they are willing to learn, they are willing to work hard.”