Lowe happy to lead Reggae Boyz
Published:Sunday | June 9, 2024 | 12:13 AMOrane Buchanan - Staff Reporter
IN THE absence of regular Reggae Boyz captain, Andre Blake, Damion Lowe was given the armband against the Dominican Republic in a World Cup qualifier on Thursday inside the National Stadium, a responsibility the hard-tackling defender is only too happy to take on.
“It’s the highest honour as I always want to represent my country at the highest level, especially knowing the history with my family,” said Lowe, making reference to his father and former Reggae Boy, Onandi Lowe.
“Wearing the armband is the highest honour when it comes to representing your nation and I always look forward to it and take it with a lot of happiness. I just try to lead from the front and make my nation proud,” said the younger Lowe.
The Reggae Boyz eked out a 1-0 win over the Dominican Republic on Thursday and had to turn their attention to recovering for today’s encounter against Dominica at Windsor Park.
“It’s been really good. For those, who didn’t get a lot of minutes they got some touches of the ball to get back their sharpness, while most of the first-team guys just did some recovery. The guys appreciated the time off, so it’s back to work today,” said Lowe.
According to Lowe, while Dominica are ranked 180th in the world and aren’t expected to pose a serious threat to the Jamaicans, he goes into every game expecting a battle.
“Points gets us to the World Cup, so being away we need to get the three points. We’re not going to underestimate anyone and this is Concacaf football and anything is possible,” said Lowe.
Later this month Jamaica will also be engaged in the 2024 Copa America. The busy schedule, Lowe said, means players will have to be smart about taking care of their bodies.
“There’s a lot of football to be played, so we have to be mindful of our bodies and be good professionals. We have a lot of injuries, around five or six, but hopefully we’ll have those guys back for the Copa America. It’s exciting times ahead for the national programme and we just have to continue to build.”