Hallgrimsson: Ecuador clash a must win for Boyz

Following an opening 1-0 defeat to Mexico in the Copa America, Reggae Boyz head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said Jamaica's next match against Ecuador will be a must win for both teams.

Jamaica fell to a lone strike from Gerardo Arteaga in Saturday's fixture and will face Ecuador on Wednesday in their next game. The Boyz will need to get a massive result against Ecuador if they are to keep their chances of advancing from the group alive.

Hallgrimsson said with Ecuador also losing their opening game to Venezuela, the fixture is shaping to be an important game for both nations.

"Losing the first game in a competition sets up the second game as a must-win game. That's a must-win game for Jamaica and that's a must-win game for Ecuador. I know Felix Sanchez (the Ecuador head coach) really well from my years in Qatar, a good friend of mine, and I know he will want to do everything to win this match."

A boost for Jamaica will be the absence of Ecuador's all-time leading goalscorer Enner Valencia, who was shown a red card in their previous game.

However, Hallgrimsson warned that even without Valencia leading the lines, the fixture promises to be a tough day out for the Boyz.

He said the main priority now is to ensure the players are rested ahead of Wednesday's clash.

"They lost a player early in the game so hopefully they will be tired," he said. "But it is going to be a similar game. It's going to be physical, there is going to be tempo in the game, there is going to be a lot of fight.

"We just need now these days to get a good recovery and to be ready for facing a tough opponent in Ecuador."

According to Hallgrimsson, the team's confidence will play a major role should Jamaica come away with a result.

He said while the squad may be talented on paper, confidence can hamper the team's chances against a higher ranked opponent.

He pointed to Saturday's result where he said that while the Boyz were able to match Mexico on the field, the Central Americans' confidence on the ball proved the difference.

"I think it's psychological," he said. "I think in many ways we matched them on the pitch. However, I felt like in the match when we had the ball, there was not the confidence on the ball like they had and I think that was the difference. There is so much quality in this Jamaican team but we're almost struggling to get it out and I think we just need to do just one win and we will overcome this."