Reggae Boyz

The Jamaica vice-captain provided gifts to over 200 children at the Marcus Garvey Square on Glasspole Avenue. 

Accompanied by representatives of his local sponsors, Digicel, and members of his management team, the 28-year-old, who was the sole Jamaican named to the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI, handed gifts to the children as they came out in their numbers to greet him. 

The initiative is meant to be an inaugural event for the community that was also home to his father and former Reggae Boy, Onandi Lowe. 

Lowe considers himself blessed and wants to extend that to the residents of Rockfort. 

“It has been a good year for me; I know how important Christmas is to the little ones and this Treat will put a smile on their faces. I have to thank my sponsors Digicel for showing up in a big way by providing all the gifts,” said Lowe. 

“Hopefully next year, after the pandemic, we can have amusement rides for the children as well,” Lowe added.

Lowe currently represents Al-Ittihad in the Egyptian Premier League and has made 35 appearances for the Reggae Boyz, scoring two goals.

He was yesterday named in the Reggae Boyz squad for their friendly against Peru and will likely captain the team for the game with regular skipper Andre Blake being rested.

Members of the local delegation are to be tested for Covid-19 today.

The departing delegation scheduled to leave from the Norman Manley International Airport at 3:13 pm Saturday, will overnight in Washington DC, USA and leave for Riyad on Sunday, November 8. Meanwhile, the players based in Europe will travel from their respective locations to Riyad.

The majority of the delegation from Jamaica and Europe are expected to arrive in Riyad on Monday, November 9. On arrival in Saudi Arabia, the delegation will go into immediate quarantine for three days at the Holiday Inn Izdihar Hotel.

According to the JFF, the overall epidemiological situation could be described as controlled all over the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi government applied strict measures in the early outbreak of the virus in the Kingdom with partial lockdown including airport closures and these measures paid off with cases going steadily down to 357 as of October 26 from a peak of 4919 back in June.

Jamaica is scheduled to play the two friendly internationals on November 14 and November 17.

The pair, who met in the final in 2017 where the USA got a 2-1 win, were drawn alongside Nicaragua and the winner of a play-in scenario involving Curacao, St. Kitts & Nevis, French Guiana and Sint Maarten at Friday’s draw held in Miami.

Group B, arguably the toughest of the tournament, will include Mexico, Haiti, Honduras and Qatar.

Group C will involve Costa Rica, Panama, El Salvador and the winner of Matchup 8 while Canada, Guatemala, Cuba and the winner of Matchup 7 will contest Group D.

Prior to the Group Stage, however, there will be a preliminary stage.

This stage will see three teams advance into the group stage. Seeded teams are listed first for Round 1 matchups while the non-seeded teams are second.

Matchup 1: Trinidad and Tobago vs. Guadeloupe

Matchup 2: Martinique vs. St. Lucia

Matchup 3: Curaçao vs. St. Kitts & Nevis

Matchup 4: French Guiana vs. Sint Maarten

Matchup 5: Suriname vs. Puerto Rico

Matchup 6: Guyana vs. Grenada

The pairings for Round 2 have been pre-determined, and will be as follows:
Matchup 7: Winner Matchup 1 vs Winner Matchup 6
Matchup 8: Winner Matchup 2 vs Winner Matchup 5
Matchup 9: Winner Matchup 3 vs Winner Matchup 4

The national team began the hexagonal round with a 2-1 loss to the region’s top-ranked team Mexico but followed that up with a heavy 3-0 loss at home to Panama.  The team then ended the first round with a 1-1 draw away to Costa Rica.

As far as rankings go, the poor start has proved costly with the team currently ranked at 59^th and outside of the world’s top 50 teams for the first time in several years.

In the meantime, teams like Canada and Panama who are off to a strong start to the final round have headed in the other direction.  After jumping 16 places, Canada is now ranked above Jamaica at 51^st, with Panama jumping 23 points to 68^th. 

Mexico remains the region’s top-ranked team at 9^th, followed by the United States at 13^th and then Costa Rica at 44^th.  The World Cup qualifier will resume next month with Jamaica travelling away to face the USA, hosting Canada at home before travelling away to face Honduras.

According to a statement from the JFF, the postponement became necessary as the hosts were experiencing challenges securing all the permits from their local authorities to host the game and the deadlines given had expired.

“The BFF has apologized to the JFF and has agreed to a game in the future at a date convenient to both teams,” the statement said.

Jamaica will play Catalonia in Spain on May 25, a match that will offer opportunities for the Reggae Boyz coaching staff to look at new players, mainly from Europe.

These new players, depending on the assessment of the technical staff, could play a role in the short, medium or long-term plans for the squad as the JFF aims at incorporating new players in its player roster as early as possible in a new four-year cycle.

Following a scoreless, even first half the game burst into life when Lewis Iberico outjumped the Jamaican backline to head past goalkeeper Amal Knight in the 48^th minute.  Another bit of poor defending saw Alex Valera intercept a ball played across the area to double the host’s lead in the 66^th minute.

Given too much room just outside the area, Yosimar Yotune finished things off with a long-range blast, which saw a diving Knight come up empty-handed.  The mostly locally-based team put together enterprising play at times but seemed to lack ideas and accuracy in the final third of the pitch.

The full squad will be back in action next Thursday when they host Mexico in the World Cup qualifiers.  Three days later the team will head to Panama, before hosting Costa Rica at home.  Hall replaced Theodore Whitmore as head coach of the team last month, following a string of disappointing results.  

In fact, Hallgrimsson, who registered his first win since taking the reins to guide the Reggae Boyz late last year, pointed out that the team's 4-1 drubbing of Caribbean rivals Trinidad and Tobago in their second Concacaf Gold Cup Group A fixture on Wednesday, was a strong indicator that time and greater consistency, could lead to better results going forward.

Prior to this Gold Cup triumph, Hallgrimsson had lost 0-3 to Argentina, 0-1 to Trinidad and Tobago, and 2-1 to Qatar and Jordan respectively, in friendly fixtures. His record also includes, 1-1 and goalless score lines with Cameroon and Trinidad and Tobago, also in friendlies, followed by a 2-2 Nations League stalemate with Mexico and more recently a 1-1 stalemate with United States in their Gold Cup opener.

While for some the victory Demarai Gray (14th and 28th), Leon Bailey (17th) and 17-year-old Dujuan "Whisper" Richards (90+2), who became the youngest scorer in the history of the tournament, was a relief, the Icelandic tactician said the focus was more on building a competitive team.

Andre Rampersad (49th) got the consolation for the twin island republic.

"It didn't affect me at all, I was not counting," Hallgrimsson declared during a post-game press conference at Citypark in St Louis, Missouri. 

"I will tell you another fact, I haven't lost a competitive game for Jamaica and that is what matters, the competitive matches. I am pretty sure this team will grow, there are a lot of young players starting to play for us and they will only grow as the tournament gets older. That is the important thing about tournament like these.

"Normally in a FIFA Window when you have players for seven days, eight days, maximum, and you have two matches, there is so little you can do to connect with them at that time. But when you have a tournament like this, you can always add things where you can improve the understanding between individual players. So, it's helping us a lot which is why it's important to be here and that is why it is important to make it to the Copa America next year as well, so we can continue grow as a team," he added.

Hallgrimsson, who was also taken to task about his selection of rising sensation Richards, argued that the late goal scored by the Chelsea-bound prospect, justified the coaching staff's decision.

He reiterated the fact that the former Kingston College talisman, who was making his Gold Cup debut, still have immense scope for improvements which will come in time as Richards learns from his more experienced counterparts.

"Normally I don't like to talk about individual players, but we were criticised for picking the kid and he only needed 10 minutes to score a goal, so that shows why we selected him, and I don't think he knows what he is going to do, the opponents don't know what he is going to do but he is lethal. 

 "I have to admit when he took the shot, I was wondering why he was shooting from that range, but he scored, so he is kind of like the guy that defy the odds a little bit and all teams need players like him. As I said before he has a lot to learn, but he still knows a lot and can do a lot right now," Hallgrimsson shared.

He also spoke highly of Gray, who celebrated his 27th birthday with a brace in only his second appearance as a Jamaican international. 

"Demarai, everybody knew he was a longtime coming, I think we started talking about him coming to Jamaica two years ago so for everyone to see now how good a individual talent he is, taking players on, he is a real quality on the field, and he is fast as well. It will take time for him to really get into the tactics and get to know the players around him, but I think it was a good birthday present he gave to all of us scoring two goals and I think he had a really good game," Hallgrimsson noted.

That said, Hallgrimsson lauded the dominance of his Reggae Boyz unit to not only consistently break down the Soca Warriors 5-4-1 defensive formation, but more importantly, maintain their composure and firm defensive posture for the most parts.

"We have good depth in the squad, not much difference between some players and we have tried these players in these positions before, so it was good to give both Javain [Brown] and Dexter Lembikisa a chance to play and Amari'i was a little bit injured, so we didn't want to risk him so that's why Taxi [Kemar Lawrence] started at left back and did a good job there. But at half time, he felt a little stiffening up, so we moved Dexter to the left and Joel Latibeaudiere played right. 

"So there were a lot of changes going on in these positions and then just the rotations of the centre-backs, I think Dishon Bernard did a really good job, so I hope Jamaicans are happy to see that there is a young centre-back coming up, he showed his strength and character in this game and in generally was really good," Hallgrimsson reasoned.

"I don't think Trinidad created a chance except for the goal, I think that was the only chance they created, so that's good and shows the defensive game we played today (Wednesday)," he ended.

Both teams will field majority players from their individual country’s local leagues but with the global football showpiece on the horizon in the next two weeks, the Africans will have a strong incentive to put on a show for their home crowd.

In addition, Cameroon coach Rigobert Song has promised to fill the remaining World Cup squads with players from the encounter.

“We really don’t know much about Cameroon.  The national team that will be facing us, its local players it’s not the team that will be going to the World Cup but I can say for sure that league in Cameroon is really strong and I don’t have the calculations but I think it is much stronger than the league in Jamaica,” Hallgrímsson said ahead of the fixture.

“For the guys before the camp the Cameroon coach Rigobert Song said he would pick 3 players from this squad to go to the World Cup with him in Qatar.  So, they have a lot to fight for and a lot to show, so we will be facing a very motivated group of players tomorrow.”

The match will be the second in charge for Hallgrimson who made his debut in a 3-0 defeat to Argentina after taking charge of the team in October.

Both teams played out a 1-1 draw at the Flora Stadium in Paramaribo on Saturday after Junior Flemmings gave Jamaica the lead in the 39^th minute before an Amal Knight own goal in the 84^th meant the points were shared.

“We need to make more improvements defensively,” said Hall in a pre-match press conference on Monday.

“I thought we gave them a little bit too much respect attacking us and allowed them to get through some shots at us which forced Amal (Knight) to make some really good saves, especially early on,” he added.

In the game on Saturday, the hosts were able to get off 10 shots, a statistic Hall says his team will need to bring down at home to secure the win.

“I’m looking for the boys to really make it a fortress at the back and just really focus on trying to be stingy with the number of efforts that we allow Suriname to make on us,” Hall said.

 Coach Hall also pleaded to the Jamaican supporters to make their presence felt at Tuesday's game.

"I want the supporters to come to the match tomorrow. I want them to show us that they're on our side. We need them to bring us over the line, we need that support," he said.

The Reggae Boyz secured a 3-2 win, setting the stage for an eagerly anticipated showdown with the USA. Coach Heimir Halgrimsson’s move to push Lowe into midfield paid immediate dividends as Reggae Boyz scored two quick goals before Bobby Reid’s penalty sealed the match for the Jamaican team.

Onandi Lowe, a legend of the 1998 World Cup squad, couldn't help but express his pride in his son's performance.

The elder Lowe, who made history as part of Jamaica's 1998 World Cup team, sees a reflection of himself in his son. Having played as a forward throughout his professional career and scoring 27 goals for Jamaica, Onandi is delighted to witness Damion's rise as a formidable central defender.

"That's my son, and they should know that what is in me is in him," beamed a proud Onandi to the Jamaica Gleaner after the game.

"When he was much younger, he used to cry because of the excitement of the National Stadium, but by carrying him over and over, he started to run on the field and kick the ball to goal every chance he got. That's where it all started."

Now, as Damion performs on the global stage, Onandi feels a profound sense of accomplishment and continuity. "My book is complete. I came, I saw, and I achieved, and my son came, saw, and continues the journey," he reflected with gratitude.

Over the three consecutive editions, the Jamaicans were beaten finalists in 2015 (3-1 to Mexico) and 2017 (2-1 to the United States), and were losing semi-finalists in 2019 (3-1 to the U.S.), performances that underline their pedigree in the biennial tournament.

Having come so close to being crowned champions, the only thing left for the Reggae Boyz at this stage it seems is to lift the trophy.

Still, veteran Damion Lowe says while the team will be targeting the title, it’s a goal they aim to pursue with an air of cautious optimism, and with as little pressure as possible.

“There is no pressure because people always write us off, and even now people don’t give us the recognition that we deserve and how good we are as a team, especially in tournaments,” he said.

“Nobody expected us to become a powerhouse in Concacaf as we started from scratch and built the programme,” Lowe added.

When Jamaica kick-starts its Group C campaign against Suriname at Exploria Stadium in Orlando on July 12, Lowe notes that the plan is to let the country’s football do the talking.

“So for us, the job is the same and that’s to prove people wrong. We will do our best and let the football speak for itself,” said the Al-Ittihad defender, who will be participating in his third Gold Cup tournament.

Lowe, 28, says he has grown to love playing in the Gold Cup.

“Playing in the Gold Cup tournament is always a joy. We are grateful for the experience and how far we have come as a nation and we just want to move on to higher heights,” he said.

The Jamaicans, who are currently hosting a pre-tournament training camp in Orlando, have quality within their ranks with the likes of Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon and Bailey and former Manchester United wonder kid Ravel Morrison.

With the pair, plus a host of English-born players and local-bred talent, the Boyz are quite capable of ruffling more than just a few feathers in the 2021 edition of the confederation’s marquee competition.

The Boyz also have group stage matches against Costa Rica and Guadeloupe.

Meanwhile, Lowe says he is still getting used to life playing in the Egyptian topflight.

Costa Rica went ahead early, but Jamaica found an answer to force the teams to split a point Wednesday at the Estadio Nacional in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Costa Rica took the lead in the third minute when Bryan Ruiz weighed up a beautiful ball for Jonathan Moya on the back post. The attacker Moya spotted Jimmy Marin making a run and used his head to set Marin up for an easy shot over the line, with Jamaica GK Andre Blake still working to defend a potential shot from Moya on the post.

Yet, Jamaica was able to find an equalizer just after the halftime break. Left-back Kemar Lawrence got into the final third with the ball and plenty of space in the 47th minute and teed up a cross for Shamar Nicholson. Nicholson didn’t hit his header entirely cleanly, but that seemed to flummox goalkeeper Keylor Navas, and Nicholson was off to celebrate his second goal of World Cup qualification.

Costa Rica was on the break again in the 68th minute, with Marin breaking free, but his touch took him too wide and Jamaica was able to recover from the danger.

There was danger on Navas’ net in the 87th minute, with the former Concacaf Goalkeeper of the Year making a pair of interventions, including using his legs to sweep away a ball that Javon East was attempting to control in the box.

It’s the first point Jamaica has earned in qualification, with the Reggae Boyz set to look for more points in October when they travel to face the U.S.

 Costa Rica’s first match of the October window is away to Honduras and the Ticos will look to add to the pair of points they amassed in September.

The Reggae Boyz, now ranked 59th globally after slipping six places, faced a string of defeats in the tournament, losing 1-0 to Mexico, 3-0 to Venezuela, and 3-1 to Mexico, finishing at the bottom of Group B. This poor showing prompted immediate repercussions, with Head Coach Heimir Hallgrímsson resigning post-tournament. Hallgrímsson has since accepted a new role as the head coach of the Republic of Ireland.

The Jamaica Football Federation are currently in an advanced stage of hiring a new head coach, who is expected to reverse the team's flagging fortunes.

Mexico, now ranked 17th, experienced a downturn as well, falling two places in the rankings after their struggles. They were defeated 1-0 by Venezuela and held to a goalless draw by Ecuador. The USA, previously the highest-ranked CONCACAF team, slipped five places to 16th. Their Copa America campaign started promisingly with a 2-0 victory over Bolivia, but subsequent losses to Panama (2-1) and Uruguay (1-0) saw them finish third in Group C, leading to the dismissal of Head Coach Gregg Berhalter.

In contrast, Canada saw a significant boost, climbing eight places to 40th after an impressive run that saw them finish fourth in the Copa America. Coached by Jesse Marsch, Canada's journey in the tournament included a second-place finish in Group A, with a win, a loss, and a draw. They advanced to the knockout stages and eliminated Venezuela 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation. Although they lost 2-0 to Argentina in the semi-finals and succumbed to Uruguay in the third-place playoff, their performance was enough to propel them up the rankings

The matches will also prove to be a timely replacement for two international friendlies against the United States and a "top Central American team" set for this month but which were cancelled because of the spike in the number of COVID-19 infections in the United States.

The JFF had said then that it would continue to seek opportunities to play games in preparation for the World Cup qualifiers which start in June next year. 

Jamaica last played Saudi Arabia on October 17, 2017 when the hosts ran out 5-2 victors over the Reggae Boyz. As such, the JFF said it will looking to assemble its best squad in the hope of reversing that result.

The Reggae Boyz last faced Qatar on August 26^th last year, playing out a 1-1 draw while this will be the first time Jamaica and Jordan will be doing battle.

JFF President Michael Ricketts said the matches are to give the Reggae Boyz the best opportunities to prepare for the Gold Cup.

“We want to place coach Hallgrimsson and his team in the best position to perform at their optimum at the Gold Cup,” Ricketts said.

“This is the third year consecutively that we will be hosted in this city, a location that is perfect for preparation. I believe that with the quality of the team we now have, combined with the quality of coaching, we have an outstanding opportunity to create history by winning the coveted trophy.”

Jamaica’s first match of the 2023 Gold Cup will come against defending champions USA on June 24^th at Soldier Field in Chicago.

Mattocks will formally be advised of the charges against him on February 27, though reports have already circulated that he has been charged with one count of making a false, fraudulent or incomplete insurance claim, and another count of theft by deception in Carroll Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania.

“When I spoke with him, he was quite private with it. I didn’t press him about it. I just reached out to him to let him understand that the entire nation is aware of what has happened and that if he needs our support in any way, shape or form that he thinks we are capable of executing, we will assist,” Simpson explained on Jamaican radio station Hitz 92 FM during its programme, Sports Grill, earlier this week.

According to reports, the charges stem from a single-car accident on January 20 last year.

The reports, alleged to have come from the Attorney General’s office, said Mattocks and a passenger were aboard a BMW X6 from New York City to Cincinnati on State Route 70, near Monongahela, Pennsylvania, when the Reggae Boy lost control of the vehicle and crashed.

According to those same reports, the insurance on the vehicle had lapsed at the time of the accident and Mattocks is alleged to have taken out a new policy hours after the accident before making a claim.

Still, Simpson does not want to make too many waves until the case is complete.

“I wouldn’t want to pre-empt a verdict because you don’t want to put yourself in a position where you defend a situation and it goes the other way, so everybody is awaiting the outcome,” said Simpson.

The team manager also indicated that Mattocks was confident he would be vindicated when all was said and done.

“When I spoke to him he was quite confident that he would be vindicated so we await,” said Simpson.

The court case may have a very deleterious impact on Mattocks career in the MLS where he plays for FC Cincinnati.

Other reports had suggested that Mattocks, who has scored just three goals in 21 appearances for Cincinnati, was at odds with the coach and, in essence, the franchise.

“He also pointed out and we were aware that the relationship between himself and FC Cincinnati had been strained prior to this situation,” said Simpson, responding to reports that former Cincinnati coach, Ron Jans had said Mattocks was not in the team’s plans this season.

“It is a fact that he had asked to be traded and this situation has put a hurdle in his way. Hopefully, he can get through it and then start playing again,” said Simpson.

Mattocks is being represented by David J Shrager, who has pointed to Mattocks record of being a law-abiding citizen as part proof that the situation is just a misunderstanding.

Mattocks is a veteran of eight years in the MLS, playing in 207 league games and scoring 40 goals for Vancouver Whitecaps, Portland Timbers, and DC United, before his move to Cincinnati.

Mattocks has also turned out for the Reggae Boyz 45 times, scoring 15 goals along the way.

“My client respects both the laws of both his native country [Jamaica] and the United States. He has never been in any kind of criminal trouble whatsoever in his life, and this matter is merely a misunderstanding regarding insurance laws here in Pennsylvania. We look forward to clearing up this matter. We have been cooperating with the courts and continue to do so. We look forward to resolving this matter expeditiously,” read a statement from Shrager’s office.

Interim Coach Paul Hall, who has reportedly been offered the job full-time, and his staff will use this game as a warm-up and a further look at the players, who will lead the team into the very important Nations League tournament which starts in early June.

 Jamaica, now in group A, will play away to Suriname on June 4, host Suriname on June 7, and host Mexico on June 14 before rounding out group play on June 26 away to Mexico.

The game gets underway at 6:45 pm.

Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a nationality by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory lies on the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, to the south of the Pyrenees mountain range. The capital is Barcelona and it has a population of 7.7 million.

As the Catalan Federation is affiliated to the Royal Spanish Football Federation as one of the several Spanish regional football federations, Catalonia cannot be affiliated with either FIFA or UEFA as a national member association and is therefore not allowed to participate in official competitions for national teams such as the FIFA World Cup or the UEFA European Championship. Other than in certain cases where other nationalities are involved, Catalan players are full Spanish citizens who are eligible to play for Spain and often do.

Since 1904, the team has played nearly 200 games against various national, regional and club teams. International friendly games have been played more regularly since 1997. Among the teams they have played are Nigeria, Brazil, and Argentina.

Austria invited the Reggae Boyz to the tournament dubbed the Austria Mini Football Tournament. The games will be played on August 20, 23, and 26 in Vienna, Austria.

The Reggae Boyz delegation will arrive on August 17 and depart on the 27^th.

“The Jamaica Football Federation is delighted to be part of these games and in doing so, will present a tremendous opportunity for our ever-growing talent pool of international players,” the JFF said in a statement.

“This will showcase them to a worldwide audience including Africa, the Middle- East and Europe as well as the many scouts and interested clubs who will be in attendance.

Tournament host Qatar demonstrated their qualities when they debuted at the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2021 and now they will host a four-country mini-tournament in Austria as they prepare for their first ever FIFA World Cup campaign.

“The JFF remains focused on the development of home-grown players and our ambition and desire is to improve on and off the field.”

The 31-year-old midfielder, who spent the final year of his career as player-coach for EFL League Two outfit Leyton Orient, played his final game against Carlise, on May 1, which ended in a 3-2 home defeat for Orient.

McAnuff, who also played 32 games for the Jamaica national team, believes the time had simply come to hang up his boots.

“After 20 seasons and nearly 800 career games, the time has finally come to announce my retirement,” McAnuff said via social media platform Instagram.

“It’s been a tough decision, but my body and mind have finally had enough of the rigours of day-to-day football and I definitely feel now is the right time to hang the boots up,” he added.

“I’ve put in a lot of work over the last few years to make sure I was as prepared as I could be for this day and I look forward confidently and excitedly to the next phase of my professional life.”

Despite having taken over as coach for Orient’s final 16 fixtures, while also playing in midfield, McAnuff will not be continuing on as the team’s coach.  Orient finished in 11^th position.

McANuff the club captain, will be 39 years old later this year and transitioned to a player/coach role last season.  He will be in a similar capacity this year but despite being the senior statesman of sorts is determined to be more than just a passenger on the pitch.

“I don’t just want to be a bit part or be here for the ride, I want to contribute, that’s a big, big thing for me,” McAnuff said in an interview with the club’s official website.

“I’m feeling good,” he added.

 “Last year, as everyone knows, was frustrating. I worked really hard to get back to playing, and I’ve got a lot of work again to get to the level I want to get to.”

The injury kept McAnuff out of action for almost the entire season, not playing his first match until March.  Orient coach Ross Embleton is confident the Jamaica midfielder will be a major contributor both on and off the pitch – and is delighted to see him stay.

“He’s been at the club since I came back, and we all know what an inspiration he is on the pitch,” Embleton said.

McAnuff has made 141 appearances for the O’s in two spells.