Head coach of the Jamaica Men’s National Football Team Paul Hall expects his Reggae Boyz to be better defensively in their return Concacaf Nations League contest against Suriname at the National Stadium on Tuesday.

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 39th minute before an Amal Knight own goal in the 84th 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.

 

 

Reports are emerging that Reggae Boyz Head Coach Paul Hall has resigned his position and the players have refused to move forward unless Jamaica Football Federation General Secretary Dalton Wint tenders his resignation.

It is a position with which JFF President Michael Ricketts appears to agree. Sportsmax.TV has obtained a Whatsapp voice note created Saturday night in which a player speaking on behalf of the team, is heard demanding Wint’s resignation and President Ricketts seemingly agreeing with the players.

“On behalf of the team, captain, vice captain, we are asking Mr Wint to resign. That’s the only way we move forward. Can we get your word on that?” said an unidentified player.

A voice sounding like the JFF president responded, “I am saying I agree.”

“You agree as the president. Okay,” the player said in reply.

This latest fallout stems from a situation that developed in Suriname on Saturday night where the Reggae Boyz played to a 1-1 draw with the home side in their opening match of the CONCACAF Nations League.

After the match, the players came to the realization that they did not have a return flight to Jamaica for the return match on June 7. Unconfirmed reports indicate that Jamaica was to have shared a charter flight with the Suriname national team back to Jamaica on Saturday night. However, Jamaica is alleged to have failed to come up with their share of the cost of the flight.

The players are reportedly still in Suriname.

Calls to both JFF President Ricketts and General Secretary Wint went unanswered up to the time of publication on Sunday.

It is unknown what arrangements are being made for the players to get back to Jamaica to prepare for their match against Suriname and their upcoming match against Mexico on June 14.

 

Jamaica Reggae Boy striker Andre Gray is attracting attention from English Championship club Reading FC after recently parting ways with relegated Watford.

The forward has been a part of the Watford squad since 2017 but spent the last season on loan at Queens Park Rangers.  During his stint at Queens Park Rangers, Gray scored 10 goals as they narrowly missed out on the play-offs.

Gray has had a productive stint in Championship football since joining Burnley in 2015.  The forward notched 20 in 52 at Brentford and 33 in 78 at Burnley before making a reported £17m switch to Hertfordshire in 2017.

According to reports, the player has also drawn interest from Birmingham and Preston North End where another Jamaican Daniel Johnson is a part of the squad.

Jamaica striker Shamar Nicholson and Spartak Moscow lifted the 2022 Russia Cup on Sunday following a 2-1 victory over Dynamo Moscow.

A Gerard Deulofeu hat-trick powered Catalonia to a 6-0 drubbing of the Reggae Boyz in Spain on Wednesday.

The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) on Tuesday unveiled a 20-man squad for the Reggae Boyz international friendly against Catalonia on May 25, 2022.

The squad includes several overseas-based players including Peterborough United’s Jonson Clarke-Harris, Huddersfield Town’s Rolando Aarons and Arsenal’s Omari Hutchinson who will be sporting the Jamaican colours for the first time.

The full squad is as follows: Corey Addai (Esbjerg fB), Dillon Barnes (Queens Park Rangers), Kaheem Parris (FC Koper), Ajeanie Talbot (Harbour View FC), Jordan Cousins (Wigan Athletic), Blair Turgott (BK Hacken) Oquassa Chong (Esbjerg fB), Omari Hutchinson (Arsenal), Joel Latibeaudiere (Swansea City), Tarick Ximines (Mount Pleasant), Jonson Clarke-Harris (Peterborough United), Ramone Howell (Waterhouse FC), Junior Flemmings (Toulouse), Tyreek Magee (Eupen), Neco Brett (New Mexico United), Kenroy Campbell (Cavalier SC), Ricardo Thomas (Waterhouse FC), Rolando Aarons (Huddersfield Town), Kameron Lacey (Charlotte 49ers), Jamoi Topey (Mount Pleasant).

 

The Jamaica Football Federation and the Basque Football Federation (BFF) have jointly decided to postpone the International friendly game between the teams which was scheduled for May 27, 2022, in Spain.

Peterborough striker Jonson Clarke-Harris could be in line for a debut call-up to the Jamaica Reggae Boyz squad as interim coach Paul Hall looks to bolster the squad ahead of the upcoming CONCACAF Nations League.

Having failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, the national team is set to return to action with a fixture against the Spanish region Catalonia on May 25.  The friendly will be followed by matches against Suriname in the Nations League and another friendly against Uruguay in June.

The 27-year-old Clarke-Harris has been one of the most dependable scorers outside the Premier League in recent years and is a player the Jamaica Football Federation has kept close tabs on.  Since joining Peterborough in 2020, the player has scored a healthy 44 goals in 87 appearances for the club.

In 31 appearances in the English Championship, this season, the forward has scored 11 times, coupled with 3 assists.  The club will, however, be relegated from the division this season after finishing second from the bottom of the league table.

Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz have a series of international friendlies scheduled over the next six weeks as the Jamaica Football Federation looks to get the national senior side back on track after a disastrous failed World Cup campaign.

Two international friendlies are to be played in Spain against Catalonia on May 25 and the Basque Country on May 27, respectively.

According to the JFF, these matches will offer opportunities 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.

 Crucial Nations League games against Suriname away on June 4, and then home on June 7, along with a June 14 home game against Mexico will be aimed at maximizing points for the 2023 Gold Cup qualification while the team continues to develop a style of play, improve its FIFA ranking as well as building team chemistry and a winning mentality.

An international friendly against Uruguay is set for June 11.

As they begin preparations for the CONCACAF Nations League tournament in June, Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz has been confirmed for a friendly international against Catalonia at the Montilivi Stadium in Girona, Spain on May 25th.

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.

Reggae Boyz head coach Paul Hall has made it clear that if players in the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) are deemed good enough, they will be given opportunities in the national side.

He made his comments in a post-match interview after his side played out a 1-1 draw with El Salvador in a World Cup Qualifier at the National Stadium on Thursday.

Locally-based players such as Cavalier’s Richard King, Mount Pleasant’s Daniel Green, Dunbeholden’s Atapharoy Bygrave and Waterhouse’s Ramone Howell all saw action against El Salvador and there were others among the substitutes. Hall says there is a reason they are all in the mix.

“The reason why they were in the squad is because I rate them highly,” Hall said before going on to issue a warning to overseas based players who declined the opportunity to represent the team.

“I’ve watched every premier league game this weekend and I’ve seen some really good players and it’s just a message to people that if they’re not willing to come and be a part of us, there are players in there waiting to take their places, they just need the opportunity,” he said.

There has long been a call to give more local-based players an opportunity in international football and it seems Hall is set on making that happen.

“I said to the lads that this is about opportunity. If I give somebody an opportunity, I expect them to take it to keep somebody else out of the team. That’s what it’s all about,” he said.

 

Reggae Boyz head coach Paul Hall has praised his team’s performance in their 1-1 draw at home against El Salvador in their CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying fixture at the National Stadium on Thursday.

Speaking after the game, Hall said his message to the team prior to the game was simple.

“I asked them to play with style. I asked them to play with a smile on their face,” he said.

They definitely heard his message, creating numerous chances with free-flowing football throughout the 90 minutes.

“They played with the ball like nobody’s business. There were triangles popping up all over the place and everybody was brave to take the ball so we’ve got to now build on that,” Hall said.

They’ll have an opportunity to build on it when they oppose Canada on Sunday before returning home to host Honduras on March 30th and Hall spoke on what he wants to see from his team in the remaining matches.

“Performance. That’s what we’re looking for. That’s all I ask the players for. I don’t ask for a win, I don’t ask them for a draw, all I say is perform because results will look after themselves,” he said.

“I just want them to play in a style that is befitting of a Jamaican team. We’re physically stronger than everybody else, we run faster than everybody else, we just need a little bit of style to our play and to make sure we’re good at the basics, then we can really fly,” Hall added.

 

 

 

Jamaica winger Leon Bailey is suggesting that Jamaica's failed world cup campaign was partly due to players in the squad who lacked the required attitude and approach.

The Aston Villa player made the suggestions while speaking with Sportsmax following Jamaica's 1-1 draw with El Salvador at the National Stadium on Thursday night in what was one of Reggae Boyz more encouraging performances of the campaign. After falling behind in the 21st minute, Jamaica rallied to equalize in the 72nd minute and had several opportunities to win the game.

Head coach Paul Hall included several local players in the squad and Bailey believes that those players exhibited the kind of attitude that was far different to that of other players who were not available for the match.

“There was too much ego in the team and I’m happy that things have been changed a little bit," said Bailey.

"We have guys who want to listen and learn and go forward. We had too many hotheads in the team, too many players who don’t like to listen. Everybody has to want to listen. Nobody’s bigger than the game.” 

Jamaica failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but Bailey says the performance against El Salvador has provided a template of how the team can move forward.

“We haven’t made it to the World Cup but tonight showed that we are a good team. We can play football and compete. I feel like we can build on this going forward. We showed a lot of character and eagerness to learn,” he said.

 

Reggae Boyz attacker Leon Bailey says he feels sharp after playing all 90 minutes of the team’s 1-1 draw in their World Cup Qualifier against El Salvador at the National Stadium in Kingston on Thursday.

The visitors took the lead in the 21st minute through an Eriq Zavaleta header off a corner before the Reggae Boyz equalized in the 72nd minute through Queens Park Rangers striker Andre Gray.

“I enjoyed the game today. I think the team enjoyed the game today and it was exciting for the fans. I thought we were brilliant in defense and attack but we didn’t take the chances,” Bailey said in an interview with SportsMax after the game.

“I felt good. Haven’t played 90 minutes in a long time. There’s much more room for improvement but I feel sharp, comfortable and ready to go,” he added.

A long time is right. The Aston Villa man hadn’t played the full 90 minutes of a game since a Premier League fixture against Southampton on November 5th.

He endured a long spell on the side-lines after suffering a muscle injury against Manchester City in December.

Jamaica have two more games in the span of five days and Bailey says he’s unsure how much of a part he’ll be able to play in those.

“I’m not sure what the plan is. I’ll speak to coach and see but, obviously, as I said, I haven’t played a full 90 minutes in a long time and having three games in such a short time, we’ll have to see how much minutes I’ll be able to play in the other two games or maybe I’ll just play one game. We don’t know,” he said.

The Reggae Boyz will next take on Canada on Sunday before ending their World Cup Qualifying campaign against Honduras at the National Stadium on March 30th.

 

 

 

 

 

Reggae Boyz head coach Paul Hall says he is looking to the future ahead of their CONCACAF World Cup qualifying fixture against El Salvador at the National Stadium in Kingston on Thursday.

Hall says the fact that Jamaica is out of contention for qualification ahead of the final round of matches gives them that opportunity.

“It’s a squad that’s got a new look about it. It’s got a younger, fresher feel about it and the reason that I’ve picked the squad like this is the succession plan. We have to look at the future,” he said.

The squad includes players like Christopher Pearson and Tarick Ximines, who participated in schoolboy football this season for Kingston College and Jamaica College, respectively.

“We have to look at youngsters who will be here in a few years’ time. We have to build and grow and part of the strategy is to bring some of those young, outstanding schoolboys, under-23 and under-24 players and really look to grow with them and set a foundation for the future,” Hall said.

Jamaica has had no success at home so far in this qualification campaign, a fact that Hall says his team will be looking to change when they face El Salvador on Thursday and then Honduras next Wednesday, March 30, with a trip to Canada sandwiched between.

“Every game that we play we try to win. It’s important that we finish off these games on a positive note. Yes, it’s important to get a win but it’s also important to use these games as a platform to get to succession plans for the future,” he said.

 

 

 

 

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