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Reggae Boyz face ‘huge challenge’ against Honduras
September 10, 2024
The Reggae Boyz will look to hurdle what newly appointed head coach Steve McClaren has labelled 'a huge challenge' in their away fixture at Tegucigalpa, where they will tackle home team Honduras in their Group B, League A Concacaf Nations League football match. Kick-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. Jamaica time (8 p.m. in Honduras).
Jamaica drew 1-1 with Cuba in their opening game at the National Stadium on Friday, and are two points behind joint leaders Honduras and Nicaragua, who registered 4-0 and 1-0 wins over Trinidad and Tobago and French Guiana, respectively. Alexander Lopez (39'), Kervin Arriaga (45'+2), Edwin Rodriguez (54') and David Ruiz-Ochoa (86') scored for Honduras, while Widman Talavera (90+5) scored deep in time added to hand Nicaragua victory.
With only the top two teams from the group guaranteed a place in the next round, defeat for Jamaica could significantly dent their hopes of moving to the next round.
When the teams last met, in September 2023, Demarai Gray scored to hand the Reggae Boyz a 1-0 win at the National Stadium in Kingston.
Jamaica also won the last contest between the nations in Honduras, by a 2-0 scoreline in 2021.
"For us it's a huge challenge and one I expect my players to accept and deal with and get a result," McClaren said.
Even though the team created many quality scoring opportunities, Jamaica's finishing was lacking against Cuba. That's the area of their play that they will be looking to improve mostly in the hunt for maximum points at the Estadio Nacional Chelato Ucles in Honduras.
Key to the Reggae Boyz's ambitions are attackers Michail Antonio, Shamar Nicholson, Bobby Reid and Demarai Gray.
"Three points is a step towards qualifying for the quarterfinals of the Nations League. So that is still the target. We played one game and we played very well to get a result.
"We hope to play well tomorrow (today) and fight as a team to get a result and put us back in contention to qualify," he added.
"We will take ... tomorrow night as the most important one, one in which, as we take every game, we plan to win. We are prepared to win," McClaren emphasised. "We are not prepared to lose or to draw. How can we beat Honduras? That's what we want to do and hopefully with the performance we will get the result."
The Jamaicans, who arrived in Honduras on Saturday, were forced to make one change to their squad, with Shaquan Davis replacing Coniah Boyce-Clarke, who was recalled by his British club Reading FC as one of their first team goalkeepers picked up an injury.
As he assessed Honduras, McClaren said that they have progressed very well and are a better team than they were a year ago, having made gains under experienced coach Reinaldo Rueda.
"Five games unbeaten, it doesn't surprise me," he said of their sequence of results leading into this matchup. "I think I watched the coach's first game, which was against Jamaica in Jamaica. The team played very well then, and that was his first game.
"He has had over a year with them and you have seen how they developed. You have seen what he started with and what they are now. They have improved a lot," McClaren observed at the pre-game press conference yesterday.
"A very good team, possession-based, like to keep the ball, good on transition and strong defensively. So I am not surprised with their team that they are five games unbeaten."
