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Antonio confident of better outcome vs Trinidad

Published:Wednesday | June 28, 2023 | 1:30 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
Jamaica’s Michail Antonio raises his hands to the sky after scoring a long-range effort to help his team equalise in a Concacaf World Cup qualifier at the National Stadium last year.
Gladstone Taylor/MultiMedia Editor
Jamaica’s Michail Antonio raises his hands to the sky after scoring a long-range effort to help his team equalise in a Concacaf World Cup qualifier at the National Stadium last year.

NATIONAL STRIKER Michail Antonio is resolute about Jamaica’s chances for another deep run in the Gold Cup despite a missed opportunity to take all three points in Saturday’s opening game against the USA.

The Reggae Boyz will face group leaders Trinidad and Tobago this evening at City Park in St Louis, Missouri, at 6:30, hoping to take a big step towards qualifying for the knockout stage.

Jamaica were on their way to an important win on Saturday after Damion Lowe fired them into the lead in the 18th minute but conceded a Brandon Vasquez equaliser in the 88th minute to hand the US a share of the points.

While admitting that the result was disappointing, considering the way the game unfolded, Antonio was still bullish about Jamaica’s chances in the tournament.

“I believe that we got the ability to win it. You could see that the USA are probably one of the favourites in the Gold Cup. We showed our ability, we showed what we can do. We showed that we are a threat,” Antonio said after the game.

The United States fielded an almost entirely different team from the one that brought them Nations League triumph. However, Antonio noted that the fitness levels made the difference with many of the players already in the middle of their seasons. The majority of the US squad play Major League Soccer, which is in the middle of its season.

“The USA are in the middle of their season right now so all the players are fit. We had a lot of English players that haven’t played for a while now, except the players who went to Austria. It shows that even though a couple of people were not fit, we can go out there with the best,” Antonio said.

Fuelled by the performance of the team against the USA and the result which they felt they let slip, Antonio is determined to bounce back with victory over Trinidad and Tobago.

“Before the (USA) game, we would have taken a point. But during the game and how the game went, definitely we wanted the three points. So, we are disappointed. And it shows that we are out there to win and the next game we are going to win.”

daniel.wheeler@gleanerjm.com