Catalonia chance for new Reggae Boyz

WITH FORMER national player Paul Hall seemingly on track to take over the national senior men’s programme full time, Jamaica will get a glimpse of some young talent when they face Catalonia today at the Estadi Municipal de Montilivi in Girona, Catalonia, Spain, beginning at 11:45 a.m.

This will be Hall’s first game in charge since the conclusion of the Reggae Boyz unsuccessful 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign and it will be the first of two friendlies that he will oversee as head coach.

While his contract was up until the end of the qualifiers, Hall is the leading candidate to be named the permanent head coach of the Reggae Boyz, according to Jamaica Football Federation president Michael Ricketts. He said earlier this month that they are hoping that the technical committee would give the recommendation to appoint Hall to the position.

“If I were to have the last say, I would say that. But, certainly, it would depend on the recommendation from the technical committee. That’s the way we are hoping it will go. That’s the way we think it will go,” Ricketts said on May 1.

The majority of the squad consists of young players, some of whom are making their return to the national team set-up after prolonged absences, such as Tyreek McGee and Kaheem Paris. With their Nations League campaign fast approaching, noted football coach Calvert Fitzgerald says Hall will be keen to see how the new faces as well as remnants from the past cycle gel.

“Most importantly, he wants to see how these players fit in the system and how they play together, how the chemistry is between them. I think it is the most important thing he would try to get from this match,” Fitzgerald told The Gleaner.

DECISION QUESTIONED

Among the players in the squad are Arsenal’s Omari Hutchinson, who has not yet declared his international future. Although Hall will have players to evaluate, former national assistant coach Bradley Stewart has questioned the decision to play the friendly with players that are not a part of his long-term plans should his appointment to permanent head coach be finalised

“I don’t know whether the planning reflects short-term, medium-term or long-term. I can’t put a finger on what it is they are trying to achieve because the sequence and the cycle doesn’t seem to fit anything,” Stewart said.

“To play a practice match with some youngsters that you have no intention of playing in the Nations League is a waste of time.”

Fitzgerald said that while Hall may have an idea of his core group for the next cycle, the most important thing for him is to address the depth in key positions.

“I am pretty sure that he basically knows 80 per cent of his team (for the Nations League) already. So probably what he is looking for now is to add to that so he can have a strong squad with a balanced presentation in all zones, probably three persons per position and see which players fit,” Fitzgerald said.

daniel.wheeler@gleanerjm.com