By LeVaughn Flynn, Staff Reporter 
JFF president Crenston Boxhill (left) and Michael Ricketts, chairman of the South Central Confederation, leave the Norman Manley International Airport yesterday. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
THE REGRET and disappointment of a nation was etched in JFF boss Crenston Boxhill's face yesterday as he spoke with journalists at the Norman Manley International Airport a few hours after seeing Jamaica's 2006 World Cup dream end in Columbus, Ohio.
Ian Goodison and Ricardo Gardner were the only players on the mid-afternoon flight with the president and the rest of the team along with coach Sebastiao Lazaroni and technical director Carl Brown were scheduled to arrive later yesterday evening.
Boxhill's dejection embodied that of the public's. A few Reggae Boyz fans seemed caught in the dilemma of whether to acknowledge or ignore the players.
"I know all of Jamaica is disappointed and I'm a Jamaican so naturally I'm very disappointed too," Boxhill said.
"We have not really gotten our thoughts together (after the loss), so there isn't much I can say right now. Of course this has been a big set back to our programme."
"I know a lot of persons are disappointed but as Jamaicans we have to keep our heads up," advised Goodison. He said a sombre mood hung in the locker room after the game as the players came to grips with the reality that their World Cup qualification campaign was over.
"Everybody's head was down, you could see the disappointment on all the players, no one knew what to say. We were all focused to get three points. The vibe was there but it just didn't work out for us." Goodison said.
Certainly, changes loom for the senior programme, particularly the players and the unstable coaching staff. Head coach Sebastiao Lazaroni's contract expired on Wednesday and only would have been renewable if Jamaica had advanced to the final round. Technical director Carl Brown's position may also be up for questioning.
Boxhill, approaching the end of his first year as president, hinted that he did not particularly agree with the decisions the technical staff had taken and intimated that some changes were ahead.
THE PATH
"In my mind, I'm clear as to the path we want to take now but I would want to discuss it with the members of my team before I make a press release," he said.
"It is my intention to have a press conference next week."
Looking back at the first game in the semi-final round where the Reggae Boyz hosted the US, Boxhill said the struggle to qualify for the final round began there when the team only managed to take one point.
"We gave up too many points at home. If you're playing a home and away tournament, home advantage is important and for the first time we got most of our points abroad."
Boxhill, however, said he was not ready to cast blame.
"I'm not looking to point fingers or blame anyone," he said, "we just gave up too many points at home."
A 1-1 draw with the US, a 2-1 loss to Panama and a 0-0 draw with El Salvador saw Jamaica bagging only two points from three home games. All three games were considered must-win encounters but none was more crucial than Wednesday's game where the Reggae Boyz tried to beat the US for the first time and fill the second qualifying spot from their group and move on with the US.
"We were quite confident that we could have come away from America with three points," Boxhill claimed. "We knew it would be an uphill task regardless of what the (US) squad would look like and I'm very disappointed that we came away with less than three points."
Panama, who trounced El Salvador 3-0 at home on Wednesday night, were the second qualifier from the group with eight points, one more than Jamaica.
