By Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter

Clad in brilliant variations of black, green and gold, thousands of fans flocked into the National Stadium hoping to catch a glimpse of Jamaica's revitalised Reggae Boyz as they took on Central American team Guatemala last night.

Not even the persistent drizzle could dampen the spirit of spectators who came from Montego Bay, Portland and as far away as Africa to support the team that captured the attention of the world when they qualified for the 1998 World Cup in France.

"Even if there was a storm tonight I just had to be here. The Boyz are back. With that man (Jamaica Football Federation president Captain Horace Burrell) in charge everything is different," said Oneil Linton, a Kingston 8 resident.

"Football had died a little but I think it has a lot do with leadership. As you can see the whole atmosphere is different. As long as there's good football on we will be here," he added.

Having been in Jamaica for just two years, Motheba Linton, a Ghana national, was not around for the 1998 campaign. However, in her first game at the National Stadium she was more than impressed with the atmosphere.

"It's just beautiful. I'm really enjoying myself. It's a really irie type of vibe," she said.

"Around the stadium there is just a sense of oneness. It's a beautiful thing."

Support around the ground also seemed to be particularly strong for former midfield maestro Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore. Whitmore took over duties as interim coach after the removal of technical director Velibor 'Bora' Milutinovic after just one year in charge of the national team.

"Well, Whitmore was a good choice as coach for the team. In fact, I wouldn't mind if he could stay there," said a Montego Bay resident.

"If is one thing he seems to know how to do and that is to get the players to work for him and that is a good thing. As you can see the vibe in the stadium is totally different now," he added.

Prior to yesterday's and Sunday's games, the national team, which had seen a drought in friendlies under the previous administration, had not played a match in close to five months. The Jamaicans are expected to officially begin their qualification campaign for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, often referred to as the 'Back to Africa' campaign, in the middle of next year.