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Undaunted

Coaches neither surprised nor worried over Canada CNL tie

Published:Thursday | October 19, 2023 | 12:12 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
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Jamaica’s Demarai Gray celebrates scoring a goal during a Concacaf Nations League A game against Honduras on September 8.
Ricardo Makyn
Jamaica’s Demarai Gray celebrates scoring a goal during a Concacaf Nations League A game against Honduras on September 8.
Jamaica’s Bobby Reid kicks a shot at goal during a Concacaf Nations League A Group B game against Honduras at the National Stadium on September 8.
Ricardo Makyn
Jamaica’s Bobby Reid kicks a shot at goal during a Concacaf Nations League A Group B game against Honduras at the National Stadium on September 8.
Merron Gordon
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Merron Gordon
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REGGAE BOYZ assistant coach, Merron Gordon, says Jamaica are undaunted by the prospect of having to get by number-44 ranked Canada when the teams meet in the quarterfinals of the Concacaf Nations League A in November.

“We knew we would play them (Canada) or Costa Rica, so we started some pre-planning for both (teams) so none of them would really surprise us. We realised that we might be playing Canada, so technical and administrative plans have started. It is just for us to put everything together. We are going to have a meeting over the weekend with the technical staff and then we take it from there,” said Gordon of the November 17 and 21 tie.

GREAT PROGRESS

According to Gordon, the team has progressed well under Icelandic coach Heimir Hallgrimmson and goes into the challenge of taking on the number-three-ranked Concacaf team full of confidence.

“We have been putting together a nice team, and we want to be among the top teams in Concacaf, and we have to beat teams like these. So we are looking forward to this challenge. It is nothing that alarms us. It is just for us to plan and execute. So we are ready,” said Gordon.

The top two teams from the two groups, Jamaica and Honduras from Group B and Trinidad and Tobago and Panama from Group A, advanced to the quarterfinals, where they will face four seeded teams. The other matchups will see Trinidad going up against Concacaf’s number one, the USA. Honduras, who finished second to Jamaica in Group B, will play number two seed Mexico, and Panama will play Central American rivals and fourth seed Costa Rica in the other game.

The quarterfinal winners will not only move on to the Concacaf Nations League final round, the four will also earn places in the 2024 Conmebol Copa América.

Jamaica topped Group B with 10 points after a 1-0 win over Honduras, a 2-2 draw with Haiti in Jamaica, before a 4-1 victory over Grenada and a 3-2 finale against Haiti in Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday

Haiti, Grenada, Curaçao, and El Salvador have been relegated to Concacaf Nations League B.

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com