‘BIG SETBACK’

AFTER the Reggae Boyz lost to Honduras for the first time in 13 years, interim Head Coach Rudolph Speid says he may have to make some personnel changes ahead of their now crucial remaining group stage games in the Concacaf Nations League. The national senior men’s team  suffered a tough 0-1 defeat to the Hondurans on Monday at the National Stadium with Keyrol Figueroa scoring the lone goal in the 14th minute. Although Jamaica had a man advantage for over 22 minutes following Dereck Moncada’s red card in the 68th minute, they failed to capitalise, managing just three shots on target for the 90 minutes. It ended an impressive eight game unbeaten streak against Honduras with their last defeat coming in 2013. It was also the first time in two years that Jamaica lost on home soil and the first since 2022 that they lost to Central American opposition. Speid, who was suffering his second competitive loss since taking over as interim boss last November, believes the team fell flat throughout the contest. “I think that energy-wise we’re not really there. We’re a bit behind Honduras who I think just wanted it more and played much harder than how we were playing and I think that is what decided the game,” he said.

Kaheim Dixon (left) of Jamaica gets away from Joseph Rosales of Honduras during the Concacaf Nations League match on Monday.

“Almost everything we need to improve on. I thought our pressing wasn’t so good tonight, but even when we dropped into a low block, (Honduras) were still finding ways through so I think we probably were just too wide apart and we played much tighter.” With only the top two from the group advancing to the quarter-finals, the result sees Jamaica fall to fourth on 3 points. Suriname lead with 6 points while Guatemala, in second, and Honduras, in third, above the Reggae Boyz due to goal difference and head-to-head respectively. The team will visit El Salvador, also on 3 points in 5th, on Friday in their penultimate game before playing Honduras again next Monday.

Honduras player Alenis Vargas (left) challenges Jamaica’s Tyreece Campbell during the Concacaf Nations League match on Monday.

“It’s a big setback for us. It means that we have to win our remaining games to qualify straight from this stage so it’s going to be tough and we’re going away, which makes the team harder for us,” said Speid. However, Speid says some changes are likely in order to see improved results going forward. “Football is a game that you have to learn to live with the wins, the losses and the draws. So it’s something that we expect to do. We’ll have some soul-searching with the whole team,” he said. “We have a big squad, so it is possible that we might have to allow other players who have more energy to play. We’ll have to be rotating the squad, so it’s something we’re going to look at.”

Ronaldo Webster (right) of Jamaica vies for the ball with Dereck Moncada of Honduras during the Concacaf Nations League fooball match at the National Stadium on Monday.Photos: Garfield Robinson

Striker Rumarn Burrell, who missed the contest after scoring in the 3-2 over Guatemala last Friday, will miss the remainder of the Nations League group stage campaign after he returned to his club Queens Park Rangers in England after picking up an injury. They could also be without winger Renaldo Cephas who pulled up inside 10 minutes of the game and was later substituted. The team will leave the island today before arriving in San Salvador ahead of Friday’s game. — Daniel Blake   Starting XI: Andre Blake, Brandon Cover (46’), Joel Latibeaudiere, Richard King, Ronaldo Webster (83’), Isaac Hayden (62’), Karoy Anderson, Kasey Palmer (62’), Kaheim Dixon (46’), Renaldo Cephas (12’), Bailey Cadamarteri Substitutes: Tyreece Campbell (12’), Miguel Freckleton (46’), Javon East (62’), Courtney Clarke (62’), Dwayne Atkinson (83’)