Reggae Boyz Copa Road

JAMAICA’S REGGAE Boyz have never been past the group stage at the Copa America tournament, finishing last in 2015 and 2016; for them to change that, here are the teams they will have to outlast when the tournament begins on Thursday in the United States.

The Jamaicans find themselves in Group B of the tournament alongside Mexico, Ecuador, and Venezuela. With the top two teams featuring in the next round, Jamaica are up against it.

Mexico, for instance, who finished runners-up in this competition in 1993 and 2001 are kingpins in Concacaf and still might not make it out of what is a very tough group.

Jaime Lozano is head coach of Mexico and has chosen to go with a younger unit than his predecessors, leaving out veterans Guillermo Ochoa, Raul Jiménez, Hirving Lozano and Jesus Gallardo. He has also left out Henry Martin with a view to giving younger players a chance to show themselves ahead of the 2026 World Cup which they co-host.

The Mexicans have struggled ahead of Copa with that younger team, losing 4-0 against Uruguay, and 3-2 in a better showing against Brazil.

As for Ecuador, they have maintained their competitiveness in Conmebol, and are fifth in South America’s World Cup qualification tournament. Still, there are openings for the Reggae Boyz with striker Enner Valencia struggling for form and midfielder Moises Caicedo not at his best at English Premier League side, Chelsea. However, the Reggae Boyz will find them tough nuts to crack at the other end of the field with defender Piero Hincapié expected to carry a great season for Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen into the tournament.

Things look even more grim when the Reggae Boyz take a look at Venezuela, who look set to qualify for the World Cup from tough Conmebol. Coach José Pekerman had Venezuela purring like a well-tuned muscle car, and when he left the team in March last year, there was the wonder if what he had built would tank.

However, new-ish coach Fernando Batista has done a good job of keeping their form going into the Copa America, though there is a concern that midfielder Jeferson Soteldo, whom the team depends on heavily, might not be at 100 per cent. Soteldo is recovering from a right thigh injury, which could hamper the team’s progress.

Jamaica, for their part, are missing the services of a number of key players. Leon Bailey has been attracting the news, but he is just one of a number of players who might not feature.

Coach Heimir Hallgrimsson will likely have to do without the services of their inspirational captain and goalkeeper Andre Blake, who is recovering from knee surgery, while Amari’I Bell also has an injury that should keep him out of action. Demarai Gray, who was named in the Copa squad is also recovering from a shoulder injury and he might not be at 100 per cent.

The Jamaicans first play Mexico on Saturday at the NRG Stadium, before Ecuador comes calling next week Wednesday at the Allegiant Stadium. Jamaica will close out the group stage against Venezuela at the Q2 Stadium against Venezuela on Sunday, June 30.