Hallgrimsson aiming to silence Mexican crowd

Reggae Boyz head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said the team will be facing an uphill task in their Copa America opener against Mexico today as he expects a hostile crowd filled with Mexican fans.

Hallgrimsson said it will be a tough fight against the Concacaf giants who are expected to have a massive crowd advantage in the sold-out 72,000-seater NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. The match kicks off at 8 p.m. Jamaica time.

However, Hallgrimsson is hopeful of a performance from his team that will silence the ‘home’ support.

“A little bit scared of facing Mexico in a sell-out stadium, 72,000 seats sold out,” he said. “I guess the majority will be Mexicans so it’s going to be like they’re playing at home, so hopefully we can silence them and we will hear the Jamaicans that will be in the stands.”

He added, “I know they will do their best even though they might be in the minority.”

Hallgrimsson said the chance to play in the Copa America is a major opportunity for several of his players as the competition stands as one of the most prestigious in world football.

He said the with the UEFA European Football Championship running alongside the Copa America, it will bring a lot of eyes towards international football.

“It is going to be a huge competition. One of the biggest ones that I’ll say and probably the one below the World Cup. The Euros is being played at the same time but I think the Copa America is even bigger than the Euros in terms of the people watching or at least a similar size of competition.”

The Reggae Boyz have been training in Houston in the lead-up to today’s fixture and Hallgrimsson is pleased with the quality he has seen throughout the training sessions.

He said while the immediate focus is on Mexico, the sessions have also been geared towards the other two opponents in Group B, namely Ecuador and Venezuela.

This is due to the short intervals the team will have to contend with during their group action.

Following the match against Mexico, Jamaica will face Ecuador on Wednesday before the final group fixture against Venezuela on Sunday, June 30.

“We have now had five sessions here in Houston and I think it has been really fruitful,” he said. “We have covered a lot of things and of course we’re not only thinking about Mexico. We’ve been doing a lot of set pieces and stuff that we’ll use for the rest of the campaign because in between games one and two and games two and three, there is only really recovery days.”

Copa America important for the future

Hallgrimsson said a lot will be dependent on Jamaica’s performance during the competition, as the Copa America could prove as valuable experience for the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) for years to come.

“It is a big tournament. It’s a privilege to be here and for Jamaica to be in this competition is good for the now and for the future. It’s a lot of experience that the players will gain and that the federation will gain for taking part in this competition.”