Noelita Lawrence-Ricketts
Injury-ravaged Jamaica faces an uphill task to open their win column in the CONCACAF Final round World Cup qualifiers when they come up against bitter old rivals United States in a crucial encounter tomorrow ( Thursday, October 7) at the Q 2 Stadium in Texas.
The Jamaicans who will be missing a few first team players due to injury, occupy rock bottom of the standings and will be in search of vital points when they collide with their hosts, who themselves will be hoping to kick start their campaign, having recorded just a solitary victory from their previous three outings.
Jamaica’ Reggae Boyz, hold up the other seven teams and has failed to win any of their matches to date, occupying bottom of the pack on just a single point, and with the worst defense, already conceding six goals the most by any team.
USA in the meantime, though not at their best, sits third in the standings on five points, just two off the table toppers and regional giants Mexico.
The contest is expected to be an exciting affair as both will be seeking crucial points in a bid to kick start their campaign.
Jamaica and their coach Theodore Whitmore know what’s at stake and despite missing some key components including the English pair of central defender Liam Moore and midfielder Daniel Johnson will be gunning for a solid performance and a massive three points…..” We know it won’t be an easy task, but we have what it takes to challenge…, it will take a cohesive effort and requires us taking our chances when we get them, but it’s attainable (victory) like I said we just have to be clinical and very sharp infront of goal”, Whitmore said.
The match is set for 7:30 p.m. Jamaica time.
In other games on the day, Honduras and Costa Rica, 6th and 7th in the standings face each other while it will be a top of the table collision when leaders Mexico play at home to inform Canada and El Salvador battle Panama in the mid-table battle.
The teams will all be back in action three days later on October 10, where Jamaica is down to host Canada at the National Stadium.
The top three teams earn a direct berth to the 2022 Qatar World Cup, while the fourth-place team advances to an intercontinental playoff. The first standings tiebreakers are (1) goal difference, (2) goals scored and (3) most points obtained from matches between teams that are tied. The full list of tiebreakers follows below.
