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.
Reggae Boyz coach Paul Hall will use a combined camp of 18 local senior and 21 U20 players to finalise his 23-man squad to play the three final games of the World Cup Qualifiers.
Sixteen players have confirmed their participation in the games. Jamaica will play El Salvador on March 24th and Honduras on March 30th, respectively, at the National Stadium. They will also engage Canada in Toronto on March 27.
Andre Blake, Dillon Barnes, Amal Knight, Damion Lowe, Richard King, Adrian Mariappa, Ethan Pinnock, Javain Brown, Gregory Leigh, Kevin Stewart, Devon Williams, Andre Gray, Kemar Roofe, Ravel Morrison, Jamal Lowe and Leon Bailey have all confirmed their participation in the games.
Hall will arrive on the island on Tuesday to conduct the camp along with head coach of the Under-20s, Marcel Gayle. The Under-20s will play in the Concacaf U20 Championship in June.
The senior players selected for the camp are as follows: Amal Knight (Harbour View FC), Oshane Staple (Harbour View FC), Trayvon Reid (Harbour View FC), Jeadine White (Cavalier SC),Kenroy Campbell (Cavalier SC), Richard King (Cavalier SC), Jamoi Topey (Cavalier SC), Dwayne Atkinson (Cavalier SC), Renaldo Webster (Cavalier SC), Denardo Thomas (Waterhouse FC),Ramone Howell (Waterhouse FC), Ricardo Thomas (Waterhouse FC),Odean Pennycooke (Tivoli Gardens FC),Demar Rose (Portmore FC), Ronaldo Cephas (Arnette Gardens FC), Daniel Green (Mount Pleasant Academy), Nicholas Nelson (Molynes United FC), Alex Marshall (HFX Wanderers).
The Under-20 players selected for the camp are: Kameron Lacey (University of North Carolina at Charlotte), Jaden Chin (FC Prime), Dylan Zane (Connecticut College), Jahvar Stephenson (Future Monarchs), Christopher Pearson (Cavalier SC), Lamonth Rochester (Cavalier SC), Jerome McLeary (Cavalier SC), Cleo Clarke (Cavalier SC), Marvin Fagan (Cavalier SC), Tarick Ximines(Harbour View FC), Gavin Burton (Harbour View FC), Devonte Campbell (Mount Pleasant United), Garey Mills (Mount Pleasant United), Tajay Anderson (Mount Pleasant United), Jahneil Wray (Portmore United), Markland Burton (Portmore United), Tyrece Harrison (Vere United), Tyricke Harrison (Vere United) Gregory Cousin (Vere United), Romain Blake (Waterhouse FC), David Edwards (Waterhouse FC).
Jamaica and West Ham United striker Michail Antonio has been nominated for the 2021 CONCACAF Men’s Player of the Year award.
The 2021 nominees have been selected based on performance statistics and voting by expert panels consisting of former professional men’s and women’s players and football broadcasters.
The other nominees are Mexico star Hirving Lozano (Napoli), the Canadian pair Jonathan David (Lille) and Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich) and Americans Weston McKennie (Juventus) and Christian Pulisic (Chelsea).
The winner will be determined in voting by national team head coaches and captains in the region, media and fans via www.concacaf.com.
Antonio has so far scored three goals in six games for the Reggae Boyz in World Cup Qualifying and nine goals for West Ham this season, including eight in the Premier League.
Jamaica Reggae Boy interim head coach, Paul Hall, was in a bullish mood ahead of Thursday’s crucial World Cup qualifiers against Mexico at the National Stadium.
The match will be the second fixture but the first World Cup qualifier for Hall, who stepped in to replaced Theodore Whitmore in December of last year. With the team adrift in sixth place and 7 points behind the qualifying positions, it seems safe to say only a win will do for the Reggae Boyz against a typically dangerous opponent.
Hall is aware of the challenge at hand but feels confident the team can find a way to pull off the crucial result.
"We got to make sure we stay focussed and motivated with the task at hand and if we can do that and get into the game and find our rhythm and be expressive with our play then we will be ok," Hall said.
“They won’t want to lose they are probably going to have the same attitude as ourselves, so I feel it will be a tight affair,” he added.
“We will respect the Mexicans and what they bring and I would ask my team to make sure that Mexico respects what we bring, with our energy, with our rhythm, and with our desire,” he added.
The Mexicans, who will be without key players Hirving Lozano and Raul Jiminez, are currently third in the standings, on 14, the same number of points as Panama. In the reverse fixture, the Mexicans scored late to win 2-1. The Jamaicans will play Panama three days later before hosting Costa Rica. All teams are directly above them in the table.
Reggae Boyz head coach Paul Hall has named an experienced squad for his squad for the next three FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica, respectively.
Hall, who replaced Theodore Whitmore on an interim basis, after the latter was relieved of his duties late last year, did not see it fit to select any outfield players currently participating in the Jamaica Premier League. Leon Bailey misses out once again as he is not fully recovered from a thigh injury that has seen him miss 11 of Aston Villa's Premier League matches this season. Shamar Nicholson declined his invitation claiming he wants to spend the time settling into his new club Spartak Moscow.
However, Hall is not short of striking options as he has called up West Ham’s Michail Antonio, Queens Park Rangers’ Andre Gray, Philadelphia Union’s Cory Burke, FC Toulouse’s Junior Flemmings, Fulham’s Bobby Reid, and Santos de Guapiles’ Javon East.
In midfield, Miami FC’s Devon Williams and Lamar Walker, Blackpool FC’s Kevin Stewart, Derby County’s Ravel Morrison, Hartford Athletic’s Peter-Lee Vassell and Preston North End’s Daniel Johnson got the nod for the crucial matches.
In defence, Hall will choose from the likes of Reading FC’s Liam Moore, Macarthur FC’s Adian Mariappa, recent Inter Miami signee Damion Lowe, Toronto FC’s Kemar Lawrence, Morecambe FC’s Gregory Leigh, Vancouver Whitecap’s Javain Brown and FC Cincinnati’s Alvas Powell.
Andre Blake of Philadelphia Union, Dwayne Miller of Eskilstuna City and Amal Knight of Harbour View FC make up the goalkeeper pool.
Jamaica will open the coming window against Mexico at the National Stadium in Kingston on January 27 before travelling to Panama for their next match on January 30. The penultimate round of qualifiers concludes with Jamaica hosting Costa Rica at the National Stadium on February 2.
Life under interim manager Paul Hall got off to a shaky for Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz following a 3-0 loss to Peru at the Estadio Nacional, in Peru, on Thursday.
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 48th minute. Another bit of poor defending saw Alex Valera intercept a ball played across the area to double the host’s lead in the 66th 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.
Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president Michael Ricketts has expressed disappointment with the government’s decision not to allow fans to attend the upcoming World Cup qualifier against Mexico, and possibly Costa Rica.
The Reggae Boyz will return to action against El Tri on the 27th of January, in a crucial World Cup qualifier at the National Stadium. The team has played the majority of home matches so far with empty stands, impacted by the government’s Covid-19 management protocols.
The exception came against the United States in the last round, where up to 5,000 vaccinated fans were allowed to attend the fixture. The JFF was hoping to have the same number of fans, if not more, but the recent increase of coronavirus cases, however, meant they had other ideas.
“Covid will be here if not forever, for a very long time so you just have to put things in place and figure out how best you are going to navigate this pandemic,” Ricketts said.
“We must live with Covid, so we must adhere to the protocols and be as careful as we can, but we must also understand that life goes on.”
The Reggae Boyz have been the only team in the octagonal round that has been affected so severely by coronavirus restrictions, with many other teams sticking to the practice of limiting the numbers of fans allowed at the venues.
Jamaica, however, has the lowest vaccination rate of all the countries participating in the qualifiers.
Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz will once again be without fans for upcoming home World Cup qualifiers against Mexico and Costa Rica as the government looks to put measures in place to combat the recent spike in coronavirus cases.
The country has played the majority of its matches behind closed doors, so far, with the lone exception being its last match against the United States, which allowed for 5000 vaccinated spectators to be present.
With 15 more COVID deaths, 1,548 new cases, and a positivity rate of 51.5 percent, as of Tuesday, however, the Government has decided to return to closed-door measures. The Reggae Boyz have been the only team in the octagonal round that has been affected so severely by coronavirus restrictions, with many other teams sticking to the practice of limiting the numbers of fans allowed at the venues.
Jamaica, however, has the lowest vaccination rate of all the countries participating in the qualifiers with just 557,000 persons fully vaccinated, representing just 20.4 percent of the population.
The Reggae Boyz will be hoping to make a late run to book a place at this year’s FIFA World Cup having found themselves well off the pace midway through the qualifiers. The team is currently 6th in the standings on 7 points, seven short of the final qualification spot. The team will kick off the next round with a match against Mexico on January 27th, followed by a trip to Panama three days later and a home fixture against Costa Rica on January 30.
Former Liverpool and England international, John Barnes, would be open to a second stint coaching the Jamaica national team should the right conditions present themselves.
Barnes coached the Jamaica Reggae Boyz between 2008-2009. During the period, Barnes coach the team for nine matches, posting 6 wins and 3 draws and going on to win the Caribbean Cup. The result saw the team secure qualification to the Concacaf Gold Cup but Barnes and the JFF unexpectedly parted ways before the team took part in the tournament.
Looking back, the Jamaica-born Barnes admits he would have loved to have coached the team at a major tournament.
“We won the Caribbean Cup and it’s a fantastic trophy to win, it’s a trophy. The Gold Cup was the big one, that is one of my biggest regrets that I wasn’t given that opportunity,” Barnes told Tallawah TV.
Barnes was later replaced by Theodore Whitmore. But after a poor start to the World Cup qualifiers last year, however, the JFF has now sacked Whitmore and appointed his assistant Paul Hall to the interim post. The position could, as a result, become open in the near future.
"I don’t know if it’s unfinished business but that’s one regret that I wasn’t able to go to a big tournament with Jamaica,” Barnes added.
“It’s not about tournaments it’s about every football game you play, going out there and showing what you can do, be it a friendly against Cayman or be it a Gold Cup or a World Cup qualifier and having that same attitude in every single game, every single training session, that is what I love to do, so who knows what the future holds.”
Everton forward Demarai Gray is reportedly close to finalising a move to represent Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz pending the approval of official documents.
The 25-year-old player, who qualifies to represent the country by virtue of having Jamaican parents, is one of a number of footballers with Jamaican heritage approached by the JFF in recent times, as the team looks to bolster its chances of qualifying for the World Cup. Gray has earned 21 caps for the England U21 team but has never played for the senior team. He is expected to secure his passport in a few weeks.
So far, the likes of West Ham’s Michail Antonio, Reading’s Liam Moore, and Fulham’s Bobby Reid to name a few have all already shown up to represent the Reggae Boyz in the World Cup qualifiers. The team did not get off to a great start. With eight matches played Jamaica are currently sixth in the eight-team table and seven points off the final qualifying spot.
The Jamaicans are looking to get back to the World Cup for the first time since their historic qualification in 1998. After a slow start, the team parted ways with longtime coach Theodore Whitmore and handed the job to assistant coach Paul Hall in December. Both men were part of the team’s historic World Cup qualification campaign. The Reggae Boyz will be back in action on the 27th of January with a crucial home fixture against Mexico.
Reggae Boyz striker Shamar Nicholson and central defender Allyson Swaby were named by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) as their 2021 Male and Female Player of the year, respectively, on Monday.
Nicholson, who recently completed a move from Belgian Pro League team Charleroi to Russian Premier League outfit Spartak Moscow, scored three goals in 11 appearances for the Reggae Boyz in 2021.
The former Boy’s Town attacker has been in sensational form this season scoring 13 goals in 18 games for Charleroi before making the move to Spartak.
Swaby, who captained the Reggae Girlz for the first time this year, was part of a Roma team that won their first major Women’s trophy in May by defeating AC Milan on penalties in the Copa Italia final after keeping a clean sheet.
On December 21, it was announced that Swaby would be joining National Women’s Soccer League expansion team Angel City FC following the completion of the Supercoppa Italiana this January.
Nicholson will miss the Reggae Boyz January 20, friendly with Peru in Lima but could next be in action for the Boyz on January 27 when they play Mexico in a World Cup Qualifying fixture, while Swaby's Reggae Girlz will next see action in the CONCACAF Women's Championship beginning on February 17.
Scores of children turned out in the community of Rockfort in Kingston on Friday as the residents were treated to a Christmas treat by Reggae Boy Damion Lowe.
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.
West Ham striker Michail Antonio was eager to represent Jamaica’s national team almost a decade ago but was overlooked for players in England football’s lower leagues.
Earlier this year, the England-born player was approached by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), regarding the prospect of representing the Caribbean nation, and agreed to switch nationalities. Antonio qualifies to represent Jamaica, as both his parents were born on the island.
The striker, now 31, has confirmed, however, that it was not the country’s first attempt to recruit him and that he had in fact been contacted by the JFF while playing for Sheffield Wednesday in 2012.
“When I was 22, the manager of the Reggae Boyz, I can’t remember the name of him, came to Sheffield Wednesday to speak to players saying, ‘would you want to play for Jamaica?’ I said yes, I will come and play 100 percent,” Antonio said during an interview with Sport Bible.
“He said ok, I’ll give you a call, give you some information, bla, bla, bla. He came and watched me play against Leeds that weekend. I’m a very honest person, I had a stinker and I’m not going to lie, but I was an established Championship player. I played in the Championship from 19 through to 25. The next international break they were calling up players from League One and League 2, wingers, over me, which I didn’t understand,” he added.
In 2012, then president of the JFF captain Horace Burrell travelled to England along with head coach Theodore Whitmore and assistant coach Alfredo Montesso on a scouting mission to recruit players of Jamaican heritage. Interestingly, Antonio played under Whitmore earlier this year, before the coach was fired in November.
The player also dismissed reports that he was approached by the federation three years later while playing for Nottingham Forrest. Insisting that neither he nor his agent ever received an offer at that point, despite claims to the contrary.
Antonio has been an instant hit since donning the country’s national colours, scoring twice in three games, which includes a 30-yard belter against the United States. Despite the move coming late on in his career and leaving the England national team selection pool, he insists there are no regrets.
“It got to a stage where I just thought, ‘I'm not going to get called up’. I didn’t believe I was going to get the call. There's loads of quality young strikers out there, he’s trying to build a team for the future. And that Tammy Abraham is young, Dominic Calvert-Lewin is young and Harry Kane is still quite young,” he added.
“My mum was born in Jamaica and my dad was born in Jamaica. I went to Jamaica all the time when I was younger. Why not try and see if we can get Jamaica to a World Cup after they’ve not been there for 20 years.
“No regrets whatsoever, I'm enjoying my football with them. And the difference with Jamaica, with England they got to the Euros final and stuff like that but with Jamaica, every achievement is a massive achievement.”
Reggae Boy striker, Shamar Nicholson, will reportedly not be overly concerned by the noted issues of racism and xenophobia that have plagued Russian football for several years.
The 24-year-old forward recently secured a move to Russian Premier League club Spartak Moscow after spending two years at Belgian club Charleroi. The move will represent a step up for the Jamaican player, with the Russian club routinely taking part in Europe’s top competitions.
Football in Russia has, however, been plagued by controversy in recent years with fans often known to direct racist and xenophobic chants towards players of different races who represent various clubs. The issue had become so prominent in recent years that there was a campaign to address the issue ahead of the country's hosting of the 2016 World Cup.
However, according to Nicholson’s agent Kevin Cowan. Issues pertaining to racism impact players everywhere.
"There is racism everywhere," Cowan told Voetbalkrant.com.
“That shouldn't be a factor. Shouldn't all players be playing in Italy or Russia otherwise?"
"Spartak came and wanted Shamar, then we are not concerned with possible racism. In the long run, he wants to go to an absolute top competition, but this is a nice step and a very nice club."
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