By Audley Boyd, Assistant Sport Editor
Jamaica's captain, Theodore Whitmore, dribbles past El Salvador's Denis Alas in their World Cup qualifying game last night at the National Stadium. The game ended 0-0. - RICARDO MAKYN/Staff Photographer
THE REGGAE Boyz squandered a glorious opportunity to strengthen their chances of advancing to the next round of the qualifying phase in the CONCACAF World Cup group semi-final series with a painstaking 0-0 draw at the National Stadium last night.
Jamaica, who were claiming only their second point in three matches at the 'Office', moved to six, a clear second in the qualifying campaign for Germany 2006. They trail the tough United States, who hammered Panama 6-0 to blow away to 11 points. Panama, who entered the penultimate round-robin games as Jamaica's major threat at joint second on five points, slipped to third while El Salvador now loom larger on four points.
Only two teams shall qualify and the U.S. have comprehensively advanced. The remaining three countries have all to play for in the last set of games on November 17 when Jamaica travel to play the U.S. in Ohio and Panama and El Salvador clash in a Central American dogfight in Panama City.
LAMENTED
Jamaica's technical director, Carl Brown, lamented the team's inability to finish after the match.
"This team has been getting at least a goal each game," Brown said. "When we really needed one today we got let down by the strikers. We went out there and we got up and fought.
"I believe we played as well as we have played all season, we just didn't take the chances that we created. Early on Marlon King missed and normally he would have put away that one.
"The luck wasn't there either. We hit the crossbar a couple times when it could have gone in. It was just one of those games that you'd rather forget. We have to get to the U.S. and beat them.
"Nine points will get us through. We have to play well. We just have to score our chances. In games like this you'll get one or two chances and you have to put them away," he said.
Having thrashed this team 3-0 in their previous match in El Salvador, the Reggae Boyz were expected to make a fast start.
However, they were tentative and seemed to be feeling out the opposition as they set about passing around the ball with no great deal of urgency in going forward.
Despite this, they were able to work two good plays down the right flank and create wide openings for full back Craig Ziadie to centre the ball. The latter's attempts to cross were way off and it mirrored an uncharacteristic bad spell of passing from the very reserved player that continued throughout the half.
The greater part of the early failings to cross the ball may have denied the opening goal the Jamaicans were hoping to get to kill off El Salvador's resolve.
The fact that the goal never came only served to strengthen the drive of the Central Americans who played without fear while constructing some good ball movement utilising the width of the field.
They were not able to penetrate Jamaica's defence though, but found a way to threaten goal with several low drives from the centre of the ballpark within the 25-yard range.
A SCARE
At the 10th minute, one such shot from Victor Merino produced a scare for Jamaica when the ball rebounded from the chest of Aaron Lawrence, who was getting a start in goal for the first time in many moons. However, Lawrence recovered to dive and claim the loose ball inches away from the foot of an opponent who had followed through nicely.
As the half lengthened and El Salvador kept standing up to the challenge, tension mounted on the Boyz and their 20-odd thousand throng of expectant supporters. Damani Ralph tried several times to break the cycle but he only made matters worse by losing possession when trying to go solo with support on hand.
A lot of his efforts, though, were forced through the lack of creativity in a three-man midfield with one real attacker, captain Theodore Whitmore.
Simply, it called for something special. Like Saturday in Panama when he carved open a goal for Whitmore, Ricardo Fuller worked out a near perfect solution near the middle and end of the first half with two dribbles.
The first at the 20th minute opened Whitmore to crash a shot on the goalie, and led to a rebound that gave Marlon King an opening but Jamaica's six-goal hit man side-footed wide of the target.
On the second occasion, Fuller wormed through four opponents in a very tight space and unleashed a powerful curling shot that struck the upright.
During all this, the Jamaicans were building an advantage in possession and though they carried that over into the second half, the shouts from the expanding crowd were only 'boo' for Deon Burton's introduction for the luckless King at the 70th minute, and 'hooray'! for the United States' mounting lead over Panama.
The team, feeling the pressure, tried to appease but it was one of those nights when effort was not going to reap a just reward. To a large degree, poor finishing contributed to the Jamaicans' plight against opponents who clearly came to salvage a point by keeping most players behind the ball.
Coach Sebastiao Lazaroni rung the changes taking off Tyrone Marshall and Fuller and replaced them with players of lesser offensive ability.
Jermaine Johnson was later introduced, but far too late (at the 82nd minute) for a player with such creative ability.
Still, the chances came and Ralph, Jamaica's hardest working player of the night, crashed a 'sitter' against the post in the last minute. There was time for one more chance too, but when it came, Andy Williams' grass-cutting cross was met in an awkward position by central defender Ian Goodison, who could not turn the ball past the goalkeeper.
It gave a booing crowd the final say for a disappointing finish that leaves everything down to the final match in the U.S.
