Whitmore blames sloppy defending after 2-0 defeat

National senior men's head coach Theodore Whitmore and defender Adrian Mariappa have both lamented the sloppy defending that cost them in their 2-0 defeat by the United States in the Concacaf 2022 World Cup qualifying match last night at the Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas.

After a goalless first half where Jamaica survived two appeals for red cards and the United States had no shots on target, the hosts immediately responded in the 49th minute through Ricardo Pepi as he finished off a great build-up play from Yunus Musah and Sergino Dest. Pepi would find the net in the 62nd minute to double their advantage and secure back-to-back wins for the United States in their road to Qatar 2022.

Whitmore was disappointed in the way that they gave up the goal four minutes into the second half, especially after limiting the USA to three shots in the first half.

"We lost our discipline and the USA capitalised on our mistakes. But personally, I think the first half was a pretty decent performance but after we conceded in the second half early, I think we lost our discipline and it was an uphill battle for us," Whitmore said.

It is a sentiment which defender Adrian Mariappa was in full agreement with.

"We didn't get our press right. I just thought we just got a little naive, lost our discipline and obviously playing against a good side, if you allow that space and time you can get punished and that's what happened," Mariappa said.

"There are plenty of games left and a lot of points to play for. Obviously, we want to get as many points as we can. There is a long road ahead. We know what we are capable of doing," he added.

Jamaica's only shot on target came from Jamal Lowe whose low shot in the 40th was saved by goalkeeper Matt Turner and was the only trouble that the Jamaicans managed to cause. Shamar Nicholson managed to carve a late opportunity for himself in the dying moments but his shot went wide.

Jamaica after starting the second half with three shots, with one on target, would only add two in the second half for a total of five in the game. The United States, after finishing with no shots on target in the first half, had seven in the second half from a total of 17 shots.

With the defeat, the clock now ticks on Whitmore's future as head coach, with reports swirling that he will be sacked by the Jamaica Football Federation unless he picks up five points from the three-game October window. After last night's game the Reggae Boyz remain firmly rooted at the bottom of the table with one point from four games. The United States have eight points.

Jamaica face Canada at home on Sunday and visit Honduras for another game next Wednesday, with back-to-back wins now the only pathway towards Whitmore remaining in charge.