Is it too late for the Reggae Boyz?

Rooted at the bottom of the table

Rooted at the bottom of the table

and staring elimination in the face; Jamaica is set to play the final game in their grueling three game series of World Cup Qualifiers when they play as guests to Honduras tonight at 8:00 pm. With just two points from five games Jamaica’s head coach Theodore Whitmore has advised that his team will be positive when they take the field to play their 6^th game in the hexagonal zone.

Atop the pile with seven points a piece is a three way tie with the United States of America, Costa Rica and Mexico. Panama inched up to six points, while Honduras remain on four points and Jamaica languish at the bottom following just two draws from their five games.

The top three teams gain automatic berths to next year’s Finals in Brazil, with the fourth-placed team entering a two-way play-off with the winner of the Oceania region in November.

After the team training session in Fort Lauderdale, head coach Tappa Whitmore had this to say, “If you look at our first game against Mexico it was away, so that is the same sort of approach that we will be taking into this Honduras game”.

“It is 11, versus 11 and regardless of the situation we have to put all our differences aside and work towards getting three points come Tuesday (today),” he added.

Following Friday’s gut-wrenching 2-1 loss to the USA, and having played two games inside three days, the players were given the day off to rest and recover, with another stern test ahead of them tonight.

Continuing, Whitmore said the approach will be “similar to the US game. We are aware that Honduras just lost to Costa Rica away, and now they will be at home, and we know the sort of reception we get when we go there. So we just have to prepare and go out there to play good football and try to win the game.”

Coach Whitmore informed the media that all the players had recovered from the two taxing encounters last week. He reinforced that none of the players has reported any serious injuries. Though Garath McCleary had experienced some discomfort which forced him to request a substitution against the USA on Friday, he trained fully yesterday. He also noted that the training session was designed to primarily defend crosses, while giving the strikers an opportunity to finish on goal, both areas have proven to be the bane of the team thus far.

“It was about defending crosses and a bit of finishing, because there is not much we can do, because we travel tomorrow (Monday) to play on Tuesday night, but I thought it went well this afternoon.”

The coach advised that the team will conduct another light workout at the game venue, the Tiburcio Carias Olympic Stadium in Tegucigalpa, some time after the players arrive at midday.

Fully aware of the difficulties which await the Boyz in Honduras, the coach has remained positive.

“It is always going to be difficult playing away from home, but it is probably the best thing for us, because our backs are against the wall. The Hondurans are at home and would want to go at us, so we just have to keep our shape, keep organized, keep focused, and we will get something out of the game.”

For Honduras, they will be without their hit-man forward Carlo Costly and Maynor Figueroa. Costly will miss the Jamaica clash due to picking up back to back yellow cards while Figueroa will miss the game as a result of an injury that he sustained the in Costa Rica game. This will not be of such a major concern though as they are confident of the replacements available to them ahead of the game.

Getting ‘something’ from the game will not suit Jamaica however, as they can only afford to drop three more points and still be in with a chance of getting into the playoff spot. A win tonight is therefore crucial for the Reggae Boyz.

In other games today, Costa Rica visit the Azteca to face Mexico at 7:00 pm, and the USA host Panama at the Century Link Field in Seattle, Washington, at 9:00 pm.