Hallgrimsson arrives in Jamaica to begin 2026 cycle
Published:Friday | January 13, 2023 | 12:34 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter -
The real work of charting Jamaica’s return to the World Cup finals has begun as national senior men’s head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson says the focus will be to assess the local talent, as well as to make sure that key needs of the team are addressed amid their overseas recruiting process.
Hallgrimsson arrived in the island this week to begin his first full year as head coach after being appointed last September replacing Paul Hall. Hallgrimsson has already had some experience with the core set of players, as well as up-and-coming talent, having taken charge in friendlies against World Cup champions Argentina last September, as well as Cameroon in November.
In an interview with RJR Sports on Wednesday, Hallgrimsson said that his immediate priority will be to properly assess the local talent that the team has to offer as he begins to craft his battle plan for success.
“The next month is to get to know the local football. See as many matches as I can. See the future players of Jamaica here in the country. So that is my next two weeks,” Hallgrimsson said.
He will also have to contend with balancing the number of overseas talent with Jamaican heritage who could be on the verge of making an international switch to represent Jamaica in the future. But, he is adamant that he will concentrate on positions where there are absolute needs for the squad.
“We are trying to prioritise who is the most necessary because we don’t have depth in some positions. But we have a lot of talented players. So it’s not about loading in players just to sign to play for Jamaica. If we don’t use them, if we don’t have space in the team to use them, then I am not going to call them. But everybody is free to change and want to play for Jamaica and fight for the spots,” Hallgrimsson said. “But I am looking more where do we need players? That is my job to try and strengthen the team, not to overload players.”
Hallgrimsson will begin his first full year in March as Jamaica will travel to Mexico for their final Concacaf Nations League League A game, with a spot in the Nations League semi-finals on the line. Jamaica currently leads their group with five points, one point ahead of Mexico.
He will also have the Gold Cup to look forward to this summer, with Jamaica securing their place last June.