Reggae Boyz forward Renaldo Cephas expects the team’s mentality and mindset to serve them well as they aim to make history in the semi-finals of the Concacaf Nations League.
Jamaica will be looking to make it to their first Nations League final when they tackle defending champions USA at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas on Thursday.
“I’m happy that I’m here to try and make history for Jamaica,” Cephas said in an interview on Tuesday.
“I think with the players mindset and mentality right now, we will do well in this game,” he added.
The 24-year-old made his debut for the Reggae Boyz in a Nations League fixture against Honduras on September 9 last year at the National Stadium in Kingston.
He played eight minutes in the game that Jamaica won 1-0.
“That was a great moment. To know that the coach believed in me and put me out there made me so happy,” he said.
Cephas was also an unused substitute in a 2-2 draw against Haiti at the same venue four days later.
This marks the first time he’s been called up to the national squad since those games.
“It’s a good feeling to be back with the national team. We have great players here so I’m really happy to be back,” he said.
At club level, Cephas is currently representing Turkish Super Lig club MKE Ankaragucu. He started his career with Jamaica Premier League club Arnett Gardens from 2019-2022 before moving to Macedonian club Shkupi.
He spent only one season there, scoring 11 goals in 29 games before moving to Ankaragucu in 2023.
This season, he has scored three goals and had three assists in 27 games as his club currently sits 16th out of 20 teams in the league.
“It’s good in Turkey because I’ve been there a good while now. The players are like my family no so I think I’m well settled there. I think next season I can do some great things in Turkey,” he said before comparing the football in Turkey to Macedonia.
“It’s a different level of football. Turkey is much better. You have top players playing in Turkey whereas in Macedonia you don’t really have that,” he said.
You can watch the semi-finals of the Concacaf Nations League live on SportsMax on March 21.