A contingent of local Jamaican footballers embarked on a journey to Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday, gearing up to participate in a series of friendly matches scheduled for Friday and Sunday.
The first of the two matches is scheduled to commence on Friday at the Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella, with the subsequent encounter set to take place on Sunday at the Larry Gomes Stadium in Arima. Both matches are slated for a 3:00 p.m. kickoff (Jamaica time).
Given that the matches fall outside of the FIFA window, players plying their trade overseas have not been included in the squad for the fixtures.
A commanding 4-1 win
This marks the second instance within a year where both nations have organized a pair of friendly matches, with Jamaica having hosted the previous edition. The last encounter resulted in a 1-0 victory for Trinidad in the first game, followed by a goalless draw in the second.
The last competitive fixture between the two nations occurred during the group stages of the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where Jamaica emerged victorious with a commanding 4-1 win over Trinidad.
Preceding these friendlies, head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson conducted a series of local training camps and arranged practice matches against teams from the Jamaica Premier League. Notably, the local-based Boyz secured victories against Vere United, Humble Lion, and Montego Bay United during these training sessions.
Value of assessing players in a match setting
Reflecting on the importance of practice matches, Hallgrimsson emphasized the value of assessing players in a match setting to identify areas for improvement.
Following these friendlies, the Jamaican squad’s focus will shift to the CONCACAF Nations League semi-finals, where they are set to face the USA on March 21.
The squad for the upcoming friendlies includes a mix of talented local players, comprising Kemar Foster, Shaquan Davis, Jayden Hibbert, Kyle Ming, Richard King, Garth Stewart, Ricardo Thomas, Sue-Lae McCalla, Stephen Yeung, Joel Cunningham, Elelio Rousseau, Alex Marshall, Shameur Smith, Jahsuan Anglin, Romeo Guthrie, Jamone Shepherd, Kaheim Dixon, Fabian Reid, Shaniel Thomas, Jason Wright, Justin Dunn, Andre Fletcher, and Devante Campbell.
