Boyz out to even score at Stadium
published: Sunday | May 25, 2003

Nodley Wright, Staff Reporter

JAMAICA'S REGGAE Boyz will today at 5:00 p.m. seek to bring Nigeria's Super Eagles down to earth.

In three matches between the two teams, the Eagles have won once while the other two were drawn. Jamaica's technical director, Carl Brown, sees today's game as an opportunity to even the score.

"We have played them on three occasions, we've drawn two and lost once," Brown said. "We need to get a victory here at home, particularly against the team we are playing."

For this task Brown has at his disposal one of the strongest squads he could assemble at this time. In the squad are no less than 10 overseas-based players such as Rushden and Diamonds' hitman, Onandi Lowe, Frank Sinclair, Michael Johnson, Ricardo Gardner, Jermaine Johnson, Micah Hyde and Darren Byfield, who made his debut against South Africa on April 30.

The Nigerian team, which arrived in the island on Friday night, appears disorganised as up to 6:00 p.m. yesterday only 14 players were in the party. Of that number the most recognisable were Arsenal striker Nwankwo Kanu, defender Efe Sodje of Crew Alexnadra, Garba Lawal and Ogbonna Kanu.

All four were part of Nigeria's squad at the last World Cup. According to the head of the Nigerian delegation there were still more players to arrive. These players, he said, could arrive as late as today.

While the other names on the squad are not easily recognisable they could still be of good quality as Nigeria can be considered the Brazil of Africa in terms of their football ability. According to Efe Sodje, who just won promotion to the English First Division with Crewe Alexandra, the team features good players.

"There are good players in the squad who play in countries such as England, Russia and the Ukraine," said Sodje.

He added: "We are representing our country and will do our best."

The Squads