Reggae Boyz assemble in El Salvador ahead of Friday’s crucial clash
Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz were scheduled to assemble in El Salvador late Wednesday, giving Head Coach Theodore Whitmore and his technical staff the option of three full training days before Friday’s CONCACAF World Cup qualifier against the hosts, according to the Jamaica Observer.
The publication said the players based in Europe were expected to arrive at Norman Manley International Airport Wednesday afternoon where they will join the local members of the delegation for a charter flight to San Salvador.
The other Reggae Boyz, who play club football in the United States and Costa Rica are to fly directly to the El Salvador capital, the Observer said.
It said the Salvadorans and the Reggae Boyz are slated to clash at Estadio Cuscatlán at 9:00 pm, Jamaica time, on Friday.
Both teams are on five points from six matches, but Jamaica have the edge due to a superior goal difference, the Observer said.
It said the Jamaicans, whose only appearance at the FIFA World Cup Finals came at France 1998, occupy sixth spot in the eight-team table, while El Salvador are seventh.
Mexico leads with 14 points, ahead of United States (11), Canada (10), Panama (eight), and Costa Rica (six). Honduras is last with three points, the Observer said.
It said the CONCACAF octagonal comprises teams playing in a round robin, home-and-away format, with each team contesting 14 matches.
The Observer said the top three nations in the table will progress automatically to the 2022 World Cup Finals, with the fourth-placed finisher heading to an intercontinental play-off for one more spot to Qatar.
The Reggae Boyz squad: Andre Blake, Jeadine White, Dwayne Miller, Liam Moore, Adrian Mariappa, Damion Lowe, Kemar Lawrence, Oniel Fisher, Gregory Leigh, Alvas Powell, Javain Brown, Anthony Grant, Ravel Morrison, Lamar Walker, Devon Williams, Je-Vaughn Watson, Bobby Reid, Junior Flemmings, Cory Burke, Javon East, Shamar Nicholson, Michail Antonio, Kemar Roofe, and Leon Bailey.
