Boyz World Cup chance better with new players – Earle

Having been a part of the historic 1998 World Cup Campaign with the senior men's team as an England-born player, former national midfielder- turned-analyst Robbie Earle believes that the current recruitment of England-born players will put the Reggae Boyz in a better position to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Earle was speaking recently on CBS Sports' Que Golazo podcast, where he discussed his experience with the team during the qualification campaign and the 1998 tournament in France, as well as his own career and how his former teammate Theodore Whitmore, now national senior head coach, is faring in his second stint with the team.

A number of England-born players made their debuts in last Thursday's 4-1 defeat to the United State, with other players such as Nathan Redmond of Southampton, Ivan Toney of Brentford, as well as Damari Grey of Bayer Leverkusen being on the radar of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF). Earle says that the administration's approach is nothing different to what other countries have done, and it would put Jamaica in a stronger position to qualify for their second World Cup.

EXCITING TIMES

"It's something that Jamaica should do, and other nations are [doing]. The United States are a great example. The Republic of Ireland have built teams based on making sure they have gone into their talent pool wherever they can," Earle said. "It could be exciting times for Jamaica. When you think of the type of players Michail Antonio, Ravel Morrison, Ivan Toney, Liam Moore, there are a number of players who are probably not going to play international football for England, are probably at the stage where they are thinking the international stage is great [and it's] the next level of performance, and they qualify through parents or grandparents who played for the nation."

Moore was among the new faces who debuted in the USA game while Morrison played his first pair games for Jamaica last November against Saudi Arabia. West Ham's Michail Antonio is in the process of acquiring his Jamaican passport while Toney is currently undecided. Earle says that he is excited about the prospect of the team with the influx of such talent being able to benefit from the same opportunity he had in that 1998 campaign.

"I'm looking forward to it because it was the opportunity that I got to play international football, and have the wonderful journey that was the World Cup," Earle said. "And with the quality of some of the players that we are talking about, it definitely puts Jamaica in a better opportunity to qualify again."

The final round of the World Cup qualifiers is slated to begin this September.