A 16th minute strike by Shamar Nicholson proved the difference as Jamaica's senior Reggae Boyz edged Dominican Republic 1-0 to open their Concacaf World Cup qualifying account on a positive note at the National Stadium on Thursday.

Nicholson’s strike, his 17th international goal and third in World Cup qualifiers, highlighted an unsatisfactory evening for Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side, as the defence was at times vulnerable, while the wasteful attacking front was marred by a lack of composure and poor decision-making in the final third. This was much to the disappointment of the sizeable crowd which surprisingly turned out despite the early kickoff and rainfall.

Still, for Hallgrimsson, the most important outcome was securing the three points, which propelled the Boyz to second in Group E on three points, same as leaders Guatemala, who hammered Dominica 6-0 in their opening clash on Wednesday.

“We should have finished it off, but when you are winning 1-0, it's always uncomfortable because then it only needs a corner or a freekick and the ball goes in. So you never kind of feel relaxed, but we should have killed the game off with the chances we got. Apart from that, it (our performance) was below par, and we can do much better than we did today,” Hallgrimsson said in a post-game interview.

“But given a lot of these players are coming back from not playing, it was kind of given that some of them would not be ready for a competitive match right away. We can for sure improve from this performance, but the most important thing is that we got the win and we kept a clean sheet,” he added.

After a cagey start by both teams, the Jamaicans eventually showed some attacking intent in the 12th minute through the fleet-footed Renaldo Cephas, who utilised his pace to good effect to breach Dominican Republic's defence, but he couldn't get on target at that point.

Dominican Republic tried to play their game, through steady and penetrative build ups, and it was one of those attempts to open up in attack that allowed the Jamaicans to break the deadlock on the counter. This, as Cephas won possession on the break and left the last defender in his wake on his way into the 18-yard box where he played a pass across goal to Nicholson, who applied a cool finish beyond custodian Miguel Lloyd.

The Boyz tried to press the ascendancy from there, but were unable to make their dominance in possession count, as their star man Michail Antonio was subjected to heavy physical treatment throughout. In fact, the Jamaicans next best chance of the first half was courtesy of Bobby Reid's 33rd-minute freekick from just outside the 18-yard box, which went just wide of the left upright.

Much like they did at the start, both teams were again slow into rhythm on the resumption, as both lacked enterprise in their build ups, and as such, failed to create anything meaningful in the attacking third.

It was until the 72nd minute that the Jamaicans again came to life when Cephas’s blistering pace down the left channel forced Luiyi De Lucas to take fell him inside the danger area and gift the Jamaicans a penalty. However, Reid couldn't make the 12-yard kick count as his effort went at a decent height for Lloyd to parry.

Eight minutes later, Reid again unleashed Cephas, who had Deshane Beckford alongside him in a two-on-one counter, but the former selfishly hogged possession and inevitably had his tame effort blocked by the advancing Lloyd.

Though they continued to threatening in a sustained attacking spell in the latter stages of the contest, the Jamaicans were found wanting in the decision-making which robbed them of any real opportunity to add to their tally.

Hallgrimsson, obviously under no illusions, acknowledged some flaws that he hopes to address heading into Sunday’s encounter away to Dominica.  

It should be placed in the context that the Icelandic coach was without a number of his first choice players –Demarai Gray, Amari’i Bell, Joel Latibeaudiere, Ethan Pinnock, Andre Blake and Dujuan Richards –due to injury, while Leon Bailey remains unavailable. Hence, the Boyz looked unimpressive.

“We were very slow. Everything that we did was low tempo. I think in the second half it got better, we created more chances with buildup play and creation, but in general, it was too slow for my taste. These strikers, for example, with all their individual quality, are not used to playing in a two striker formation,” Hallgrimsson reasoned.

“So we just need time to get them to sink a little bit better. But in general with the ball, we were not good. Slow tempo, even defending first half was slow tempo, so we gave them the time that they needed to be good. So I would just say we need to up the tempo in everything that we are doing. But you are correct, attacking decision-making is not good enough,” he noted.

Reggae Boy Deshane Beckford is hoping to hit the ground running on his return to Hartford Athletic when the United Soccer League (USL) championship season gets underway in March.

The midfielder, who enjoyed a productive loan spell at Hartford Athletic two years ago, rejoins the team at a time when they require some impetus, as they endured a dismal campaign last season, and finished at the foot of the Eastern Conference with a mere four wins in 34 outings.

Beckford in confirming his move from Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, where he scored two goals and had four assists in 32 appearances last season, expressed delight at being reunited with coach Brendan Burke.

“I am happy to reunite with coach [Brendan] Burke and be part of the project in Hartford,” Beckford said.

“This is one of the most passionate fan bases in the entire league and I’m glad to have them cheering me on and supporting me this season. I am also looking forward to integrating myself into Hartford’s large Jamaican community, something that I’m sure will make me feel right at home in my new city,” he added.

The 25-year-old, whose lone international cap came two years ago, joins compatriot Andre Lewis and Trinidad and Tobago’s Tristan Hodge at Hartford Athletic.

Meanwhile, Burke, a big admirer of Beckford has high expectations from a player he believes will add great attacking value to the squad. Beckford has made 97 Championship appearances, with 11 goals and 12 assists to his record.

“We are very excited to bring Deshane to Hartford. He is an excellent winger with great pace on the ball and is especially dangerous on the counterattack,” Burke, who is also the club general manager, shared. “He does a great job to put pressure on the opposition with his effort on defense as well. Our fans are really going to enjoy cheering on Deshane this season,” he noted.

Former Jamaica U-23 and Montego Bay United forward, Deshane Beckford, is expected to join USL Championship club Colorado Switchbacks on a season-long loan.

The move will mark the second for the Jamaica national over the past several years, after first joining the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros at the end of 2019.  Beckford also spent the 2020 season with the Toros.

In 22 USL Championship appearances, the forward has scored three goals.  Brown put himself on the radar of the USL after a strong performance at the 2019 Pan American Games where he scored three goals for Jamaica in three games.  The forward also previously represented Jamaica at the U-17 level.

The move remains dependent on the player renewing a work visa, but Beckford expressed delight with the opportunity to continue plying his trade in the US second division.

 “I'm grateful to be a part of the Switchbacks, the players and staff have been really positive,” Beckford told USL Championship.com.

 “I'm excited for the upcoming season.”

The 23-year-old previously trialed for West Ham in 2015.  Colorado Springs coach Brendan Burke welcomed Beckford’s addition to the line-up.

“Deshane is a player that impressed us immensely during his performance with the Jamaican U23 team in the Pan American Games,” Burke said.

“His pace, soft feet, and nose for goal should add another weapon to our still-evolving group of forwards.”