Catalonia test for new Reggae Boyz

Former Molynes United coach Calvert Fitzgerald says that Jamaican players on the fringe have the opportunity to prove that they can form the cornerstone of the next World Cup cycle when the Reggae Boyz face Catalonia today.

The Reggae Boyz will face Catalonia at 11:45 a.m. Jamaica time at the Estadio Municipal de Montilivi in Girona, Catalonia, Spain.

With a squad comprised of new faces such as Arsenal's 18-year-old Omari Hutchinson, Jonson Clarke-Harris of Peterborough United and Huddersfield Town midfielder Rolando Aarons and recalls such as Eupen's Tyreek Magee and FC Koper's Kaheem Paris, they will look to impress interim head coach Paul Hall as the evaluation process continues for the 2026 World Cup cycle.

That cycle will include the Nations League campaign which begins next month and Fitzgerald says that while a positive result is encouraging, what will be important is how they can adapt to his system

"Scoreline is always important but it is not the most important thing. (Obviously) you don't want to go out there and get 5-0 or 7-0. That would not be good at all," Fitzgerald told STAR Sports. "But what he will be looking at, to put it bluntly, is how they match up because we are going to play some very good players. So can they match up? That is the thing he wants to focus on."

Hall is the leading candidate to take over the Reggae Boyz head coaching job with Jamaica Football Federation president Michael Ricketts indicating earlier this month that they are hoping that they would have the recommendation from the technical committee. With an eye towards their opening Nations League game on June 7, Fitzgerald said that this game is the perfect opportunity to see who can play their way into the group Hall intends to use for his long-term project.

"He is trying to look at how they fit with the core group as I am 100 per cent positive that he has his core group of players already," Fitzgerald said.