Hallgrimsson: Defeat against US can serve as catalyst for growth
Published:Tuesday | March 26, 2024 | 12:09 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
Reggae Boyz head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson says the team has not been impacted negatively by the last-minute own goal which led to defeat by the United States in the Concacaf Nations League semi-final last Thursday.
Jamaica ended the Concacaf Nations League with a third -place finish after a 1-0 win over Panama at the AT&T Stadium in Texas, United States, on Sunday. However, last Thursday, they were seconds away from a place in the final but were denied by an own goal from forward Cory Burke. The USA eventually ran out 3-1 winners in extra-time to book their place in the final.
Hallgrimsson said the experience from a defeat like last Thursday’s can serve as a catalyst for growth, and he believes that the players’ response after the loss was exemplary and can only lead to positive things going forward.
“Sometimes the most painful moments in life give you the opportunity to grow, and as a team, it was enjoyable to watch their togetherness (after Thursday’s defeat).
“We all felt pain after the game. But of course, Cory Burke felt the most pain and wanted to take all the blame. But it was beautiful to see how the team took this defeat, how they supported each other.
“So for me this is a moment we use to grow as a team, and the bonding after this game was really good,” he said.
He admitted that a defeat like that can easily break a team but believes that the team spirit the Boyz showed nullifies any such possibility.
“Moments like this and losses like these break teams and split players apart, where everybody points at each other and blames each other.
“So this was actually a big moment for us, and I think we can grow from this loss against the US, and I hope that the team’s play will improve after this experience.
“So sometimes the moments in life that hurt the most can actually be a time to grow,” he stated.
After their highest ever finish at the Nations League tournament, the Reggae Boyz will now turn their attention to the World Cup qualifiers in June and the Copa America in July.
However, the Icelandic coach insists that they will have to prioritise during this period.
“We just need to prioritise how we are going to deal with each opponent and then we decide how we are going to spend our time. We need to see the big picture first before we decide what to do.
“ So our work now is to start to focus on the next games, and it’s a lot of games. The coaches have already started to work on how we are going to do our next two months and then to planning how we are going to execute our two big tournaments in June,” Hallgrimsson said.