‘Gold Cup last-eight display disappointing’

Former national players Lenworth 'Teacher' Hyde and Lovel Palmer have expressed disappointment with Jamaica's performance in their Concacaf Gold Cup quarter-final match against the United States on Sunday.

The Reggae Boyz, who were hoping to reach a fourth straight semi-final, were beaten 1-0 by the Americans at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Matthew Hoppe netted the winning goal for the United States in the 83rd minute.

Hyde, regarded by many as one of the country's best-ever footballers, said the Reggae Boyz played poorly throughout the match.

"It was a lukewarm performance, because we could have done much better," said Hyde. "We could have created more chances, and we gave away the ball too easily. There were too many long passes from the back of the field and we weren't winning the headers."

He also felt that a lot of players were not playing according to the coach's instructions and therefore, this disrupted the efficiency of the team.

"I think Cory Burke was overworked upfront, because he was doing too much running. He wasn't playing a patient game. He needed to be patient (hold up the ball) and build with the team going forward," Hyde said.

Overworked

"I think Kemar Lawrence had a good game, but he also was overworked. He had to deal with the right back and the winger, so he had two players confronting him at all times, and so we weren't defending properly either, and we were not organised," the former Premier League coach said.

Palmer, who was a member of the Reggae Boyz Gold Cup team in 2005, said the Reggae Boyz gave up too much possession to the United States. The hosts had 68 per cent possession to Jamaica's 32.

"I think it was disappointing," said Palmer, who is now a senior player on the Harbour View Jamaica Premier League team. "The team didn't play well, because we sat back and defended and we allowed the Americans to come at us. As for the midfield, the engine wasn't rolling, but we got a couple of chances that we should have scored. The Americans got a half a chance and they scored a header, and so, all in all, I think it was a disappointment from us."