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Coley wants Magee to get more time with Boyz
December 29, 2023
Former Reggae Boyz assistant coach and head coach of Jamaica College, Miguel Coley, wants midfielder Tyreek Magee to get more time to fill the needs of Jamaica's national team.
However, Coley believes Magee will also have to play his part to become a permanent fixture in the Reggae Boyz, by working hard and proving himself every time he steps out in the black, green and gold.
"He got a chance the other day to play against Honduras. I didn't watch the game to see how well he did, but he is a quality midfielder and, once he has time to play with the team, he will do much better.
"But, it is always up to the coach, because you can be a good player but how the coach wants to play may be different," Coley told STAR Sports.
He pointed out that playing for the senior Reggae Boyz can help resurrect the career of the 24-year-old midfielder, who had two dormant seasons in Belgium with KAS Eupen before moving in May to Colorado Spring Switchbacks FC in the United Soccer League (USL), the second tier football of United States of America.
"He also needs that confidence from the national team to go again, because he was in Belgium and now he is in the USL. He needs that confidence, but he has to push himself too.
"I spoke to him maybe three months ago before he went to the USL, not about the football but about life, because, when you have to push to cement yourself and to fight for your family, you realise that it is so competitive out there and you need all the support you can get," Coley said.
Magee, known for his vision, ball handling and dead ball as a schoolboy, is a creative midfielder who scores goals, and Coley, who recently completed his Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Pro License, believes the Reggae Boyz midfield lacks a player of Magee's qualities.
However, he noted that the gap between schoolboy football and professional football was miles apart, and insisted that the only way for Magee to cement himself at this level was through hard work.
"It (professional football) is not Under-19. Cristiano Ronaldo is now 38. So, it is basically under 40, and there is a big gap, and it is very competitive.
"So he has to fight for his position. Every chance he gets to play for his club, he has to show up. Every chance he gets to play for the national team, he has to really show it.
"The (national) team will be very competitive and difficult to make. It is not a space that is put down for him. He has to work for it and show the coach that he is the person he is looking for," Coley stated.
