Upbeat Reggae Boyz
Jamaica face Honduras today in Concacaf Nations League
Published:Friday | September 8, 2023 | 12:11 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
AHEAD of Jamaica’s opening assignment against Honduras in the 2023 Concacaf Nations League tournament, Heimir Hallgrimsson, head coach of the senior Reggae Boyz team, believes his players are prepared for their rivals as they have spent a lot of time analysing their style of play. The match is set to kick off at 8:10 p.m. at the National Stadium.
“Honduras are a very good team, a very physical one as we’ve watched them at the Gold Cup and analysed them. We know their players and capabilities, and we think we’re prepared for that,” Hallgrimsson said.
Heading into the evening’s encounter, Jamaica will be brimming with confidence as they have had favourable results against Honduras in their last five assignments dating back to 2013. Since that year, the two have played on five occasions, with the Reggae Boyz winning four and drawing once. However, coach Hallgrimsson states that this means little to nothing as this fixture brings a totally different challenge.
“It means absolutely nothing. The past will not give us any advantage or disadvantage. You can find everything in statistics, but today is the time to be ready for the matchday, and that’s the only thing that matters,” he explained.
Hallgrimsson said that he, along with his coaching staff, are putting things in place, which he hopes will bear fruit in the long term. He also stated that a number of players, both past and present, have reached out to the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) wanting to be part of the current set-up, which he believes is a sign of progress.
“We’re building for the future, and a lot of players have reached out. They want to be a part of this, and I feel a genuine positivity around the men’s national, and I’m happy. This means we are doing something right, and we can further show that in our performances on the pitch, which is the most important thing,” he added.
Jamaica, drawn in Group B alongside the likes of Cuba, Grenada, Haiti, Honduras, and Suriname, will have the luxury of having New York City’s right back Tayvon Gray as one of the debutants in the squad. The 21-year-old stated that he feels at home in the team.
“It’s been good. It’s good to be around new faces and getting to know new players as that’s always a joy. The vibe has been good around the group, and I’m ready to play, to be honest,” Gray stated.
Coach Hallgrimsson also shared that he was pleased with the offensive threat that the team has at its disposal but is also mindful that as a team, they will have to be solid defensively in order to win tournaments like these.
“The attacking threat that we have should always be there. I don’t mind if we drop high or drop low, we should use the speed we have to our advantage. All teams that want to win tournaments will have to be good defensively as they say defence wins tournaments, but how we attack depends on who we have (in our team) and the type of opponents,” Hallgrimsson said.
Three top players will be missing from the Jamaican squad for the game. Forwards Michail Antonio and Cory Burke and defender Dexter Lembiska are out, and they are replaced by Romario Williams, Demario Phillips, and Javain Brown. Antonio has withdrawn because of personal reasons while Burke and Lembiska are injured.
The last time the teams met, on March 30 last year, Jamaica came from behind to win 2-1. Angel Tejeda opened the scoring for Honduras in the 18th minute before Jamaica hit back with goals from Leon Bailey and Ravel Morrison.