Sport

Satisfactory performance

JAMAICA'S REGGAE BOYZ are back home after what can be described as a satisfactory performance in the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup held in the United States.

With Jamaica fielding a largely inexperienced team which included several locally-based players, there were many who believed that the island would have had some difficulty advancing from a first-round group which included Mexico, the region's number one team, South Africa and Guatemala, the fourth place team in CONCACAF's World Cup qualifying final round.

That they were able to get into the last eight with some amount of ease is a tribute to the hard work put in by technical director Wendell Downswell and his assistants.

However, it was the same old story at the quarter-final stage as the Boyz were again beaten by regional arch rivals, the United States.

The tournament had many positives and an equal number of negatives for the Boyz.

Eight goals in four matches is a big positive, This is an area in which Jamaican teams have had difficulty in the past and it was refreshing to see that there are players around the team now who can put the ball in the back of the net. Harbour View's Luton Shelton is one such player and it would be good if he is able to earn a professional contract in the American Major League Soccer (MLS) or English First Division team where he can build on his talent.

Fighting spirit

The competitiveness of the team was also a positive. They showed admirable fighting spirit in situations where they would have cracked in the past - especially when pitted against Mexico. Based on the the fact that they had conceded seven goals in the first two matches, I had expected a drubbing against a Mexican team which knows how to keep possession of the ball and is strong in midfield and in defence. Coach Downswell was, however, spot on with his match tactics and Mexico were only able to eke out a 1-0 victory.

Another positive was the goalkeeping of both Donovan Ricketts and Shawn Sawyers. Both goalkeepers made few mistakes and were blameless in almost all the goals scored against Jamaica.

The big negative was the number of red cards and cautions the players picked up. Three red cards in four matches is quite a lot and it could have been more as one or two defenders engaged in some really reckless tackling. Expulsions put a great deal of pressure on the remaining players during a long tournament and coach Downswell has a lot of work to do in this area as he tackles the mental approach of the players.

Woeful defending

Another negative was the poor defending by a team which had a 5-3-2 formation. Ten goals against in four games, 2.5 per game, is woeful defending. No team can hope to get very far in a tournament if it allows in more goals than it scores. Jamaica scored eight goals during the 2005 Gold Cup but conceded ten.

The tournament also showed that Jamaica lacked a class midfielder. One who is level-headed and wants the ball when the team is down. Neither captain Andy Williams, who has announced his retirement, nor Jermaine Hue appear to be this player. In their quarter-final match, Jamaica were completely outplayed in midfield by the U.S. It may have been the formation of the Jamaicans but the U.S. always seemed to have an extra man in midfield. Even if they were very fresh, Jamaica, using the same tactics, would have been beaten badly in this match and there was no one in midfield to match the American pair of Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley.

Overall, the Gold Cup experience was good. Several players got the chance to play in their first international senior tournament. In future, the coach will have a wider experienced pool from which to select national players and this will increase competition for places and ultimately, the quality of the players.