Tony Becca
JAMAICA'S DREAM of making it to the World Cup football finals for the second time ended in
disappointment in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday night.
Going into the match against the United States, Jamaica, on six points one ahead of Panama and two ahead of El Salvador had two chances of making it to the second round of the qualifying tournament. They either had to win and march along or draw and hope that El Salvador defeated or drew with Panama.
As it turned out, the match ended in a 1-1 tie, Panama knocked off El Salvador 3-0, and that was it for the Reggae Boyz.
To a number of Jamaicans, Jamaica should have won the match, and they only failed to do so because they played badly. According to them, the team selection was poor, players started in wrong positions, and by the time the coach got it right through substitutions, it was too late.
UNBEATEN RUN
Remembering that Jamaica had never defeated the U.S., however that the U.S. went into the
contest with a 12-match unbeaten run; that the match was played in a stadium in which the U.S. had never conceded even one goal; and that the match ended in a draw with Jamaica, penalty or not, scoring a goal it was a
reasonable performance by the Reggae Boyz, who fought to the end.
With the U.S. being their last opponent in the round, with Panama expected to defeat El Salvador in Panama City, and with Jamaica in a position where they had to win or stay home, the truth is that it was too late for Jamaica.
The disappointment should not be that they failed to defeat a team that they have never defeated
neither at home nor away.
Apart from playing to two 1-1 ties with the USA and failing to qualify, the disappointment should be that they should have qualified by the time they got to the U.S. and the last match they failed to do so because they squandered so many opportunities to win or draw matches and because they picked up only two points from three matches at home.
In a tournament during which they were hot and cold, Jamaica, playing at home, led the U.S. into extra time before conceding a goal and had to settle for a 1-1 draw and, after falling behind to Panama at the National Stadium, Jamaica, down to 10 men before halftime, played brilliantly, levelled the score and appeared set to win the match before, after failing to score a couple times, giving up a goal in the final few minutes.
The biggest disappointment, however, was when, after a
brilliant first half against El Salvador in San Salvador and after winning 3-0, Jamaica, playing at home and dominating the game, muffed chance after chance in a
0-0 draw.
Those extra five points two from the first match against the US, one from the first match against Panama, and two from the second match against El Salvador would have pushed Jamaica to 12 points, and with the U.S.
losing one and then finishing on 11 and Panama two and then
finishing on six, instead of finishing on seven points in third position and out of it, Jamaica, who were expected to finish second to the U.S., would have finished on top.
What is done, however, is done, and although the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) should look at whatever mistakes there may have been and learn from them, it's no use talking now about what should have happened, about team selection, about the coach, who once admitted that he did not know much about the players, and about what may have been.
In spite of the disappointment, Jamaica will be in the hunt next time and what's to come is what is important.
PROS AND CONS
The JFF, for example, should look at the pros and cons of a foreign coach at whether Jamaica's football still needs a foreign coach.
If the development of Jamaica, football is important. The JFF needs to move towards selecting more local-based players to the national team instead of looking under every stone to find a player who was born and bred abroad, but whose parents or grandparents were born in Jamaica. The JFF should also look at the cost of
flying players, including those who sit on the bench, into and out of Jamaica and elsewhere for a match.
Apart from that which is spent to bring in home-grown players like Ricardo Gardner and Ricardo Fuller, who ply their trade abroad but who learnt their skill in Jamaica and who therefore understand Jamaica's football, that money should be spent on
developing Jamaica's football and Jamaica's footballers.
