Though the Reggae Boyz’s Head Coach Paul Hall has shifted focus to a rebuilding phase, he expects his team to give of its best in today’s CONCACAF World Cup Qualifier against El Salvador inside Kingston’s National Stadium.
Start time is slated for 6:05 pm.
The Reggae Boyz have been eliminated from the FIFA Qatar World Cup Finals, having languished in seventh place in the eight-nation Final Round with a mere seven points from 11 games, well outside the possibility of finishing at least fourth.
As a consequence, Hall, who replaced former head coach and 1998 Reggae Boyz World Cup Finals teammate Theodore Whitmore as interim head coach, has started his transition planning as he looks towards the long-term development of Jamaica’s football.
The next three games, including today’s, as well as away to Canada on Sunday, and back here to host Honduras next Wednesday, provide a delicate balancing act for Hall and his band of players.
“It’s important that we go out and give a great performance on Thursday and make sure that we are there or thereabouts come the end of the game,” Hall said.
“This has been a campaign where we have been kicked from left, right to centre with every window that we pass. We need the support. Those boys that are here are committed, they want to go forward, we have the Nations League to look forward to and we need to use these games to look forward to the Nations League and really plan and we need that support, we need that 12th man,” urged the former Reggae Boy forward.
In other games in the CONCACAF Final Round today, Mexico host US at 9:00 pm inside the Estadio Azteca, Honduras visit Panama at 8:05 pm at Estadio Rommel Fernandez, and Costa Rica host Canada at 9:05 pm at Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica.
Hall had invited a number of first-team regulars who have opted out of the next three games for varying reasons, some of which he found “interesting”, but prefers not to elaborate on, as he reiterates that he needs only players who put Jamaica first and are fully committed to the country’s football.
“It’s a squad that has got a new look about it. It’s younger, fresher feel about it and really the reason why I picked a squad like this is for succession planning.
“We have to look at the future, we have to look at youngsters who will be here in a few years’ time and we have to build and grow and part of the strategy is to bring some of those young, outstanding schoolboys, outstanding, young Under-23, Under-24 players and really look to grow with them, and set a foundation for the future,” the coach explained.
“We need to think and look to the future and we need to start building that right now, so as promised I’ve picked a squad that we are looking forward within a few years’ time. I hope they come in a show what I saw in them.”
As it regards today’s contest against the Central Americans the Reggae Boyz drew 1-1 in the away fixture, the coach wants his team to make it “uncomfortable” for them to come here and get any points. “We want to make sure that we fight for every blade of grass that is here at the National Stadium. We got to respect them because we know that they can play well, we know they like to dominate the game with possession, we have to respect our opponents and the best way to respect our opponents is to make sure we give them a good game of football and we make it uncomfortable for El Salvador when they are in our environment as they have made it at times uncomfortable for us.”
Canada lead the points table on 25, four clear of The US and Mexico in second and third places, respectively. Panama are next on 17 points, one ahead of Costa Rica, with El Salvador on nine points.
Honduras are last with a paltry three points.
The top three teams gain automatic passage to Qatar, with the fourth-place team booking an intercontinental play-off against a team from Oceania for another chance to make it to Qatar.
