While the search for his best starting lineup continues, Reggae Boyz head coach Steve McClaren says whichever combination he selects against Panama will be one capable enough to secure the vital three points needed to keep their Concacaf Gold Cup hopes alive.
The second-placed Boyz face what will be their toughest Group C test against Panama in a decisive showdown at Q2 Stadium on Tuesday at 6:00pm (Jamaica time), with a quarter-final berth on the line. With Panama on six points from two wins and both Jamaica and Guatemala on three points, only a win will guarantee the Boyz passage to the knockout stage, while Panama only need a draw to top the group.
"This is a very important football tournament in which we want to do well, and we have come to a stage where the third game you must draw or win to go through, or you have to score many goals to go through. So we will wait and see. But the main thing we are focusing on is beating Panama," McClaren said in a pre-match press conference.
Jamaica has had a mixed campaign so far. They opened with a lacklustre 0-1 loss to Guatemala—just days after a comfortable 3-0 win over the same opponent in a World Cup qualifier—and they later squeezed past Guadeloupe 2-1 in a shaky come-from-behind win. The inconsistency has drawn criticism, particularly around team selection and shape.
Still, McClaren remains firm in his belief that the team can rise to the occasion.
"I said after the last game that there are no easy games in football. The level of players, technically and tactically, are a lot better. I like Thomas [Christiansen] from Panama. I know the level he is working at, and he has been at Panama five years, and you can see why they have made progress," McClaren said.
"The first 20 minutes of any game are the most important, in both halves. So it is important that we know what is going on with the opponent. So if there is anything, we can adjust or move," he added.
The Boyz will need to overcome a difficult history against the Panamanians, who have won nine of their 19 encounters. However, they will draw inspiration from the fact that they have beaten the Central Americans four times, with the last win—a 1-0 result—that came in a Concacaf Nations League third-place play-off.
Another high point for the Jamaicans is the fact that they have only missed the Gold Cup knockout stages once, which was in 2009, and McClaren and company will be hoping that Tuesday night does not mark the second.
"We are searching for the right squad, the right set of players, and the right processes to make sure we win football matches. As the ultimate goal is World Cup qualifying. But we come to the Gold Cup to win football matches, not to experiment," the tactician declared.
"For the three camps that we’ve had, we have had players coming and going, and we changed every time. But this is an important tournament, and we want to win. So I will put a team out there that I think will win the game,” he noted.
Meanwhile, striker Michail Antonio echoed the urgency and importance of the match.
"In the last couple of games we lost our shape, lost our way during the game. Obviously, with the quality that we have, and after what we have done over the last years in the Gold Cup—getting to the semi-finals and getting to the finals—it would be disappointing for us to not get there and disappoint our fans and our country. So when we go out (Tuesday), it is not just for us and ourselves, but for our country. We must make sure things are done right. Panama is a good team. But so are we,” Antonio stated.
Elsewhere in the group, Guatemala will face winless Guadeloupe in Houston. In two Gold Cup meetings so far, Guatemala won in 2023, while the first in 2021 ended in a 1-1 stalemate. A win in Tuesday's contest could also see Guatemala through—adding even more pressure on Jamaica to take care of business.