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Bailey: We will bounce back
November 18, 2024
Although the United States (US) are one of Jamaica's toughest opponents, Reggae Boy winger Leon Bailey believes they have what it takes to bounce back from their 1-0 first leg defeat, in the second leg of their Concacaf Nations League, League A quarter-final at the City Park in Missouri, tonight at 8.
Ricardo Pepi scored the lone goal in Thursday night's first-leg matchup at the National Stadium in Kingston.
The Reggae Boyz face a must-win situation, with the winner on aggregate over the two legs guaranteed a spot in the semifinals to be played in March.
Another bonus of making the semi-finals of the Concacaf Nations League is it is automatic qualification to the Gold Cup.
Bailey says that trailing 1-0 makes their job even more challenging, but he believes they can pull off a similar turnaround to their comeback win over Canada at the same stage of the competition last year.
"We have played a lot of times in the US and it is always a challenge. It is never going to be easy and we know that. We just have to be prepared and we will be. I think it is a repeat from last year. We were just unfortunate on the day (first leg) but we will bounce back and get results in the future," he said.
Although his role under McClaren is somewhat different from that when Heimer Hallgrimsson was head coach, Bailey said he is trying to execute as best as he can. However, he insists that the most important thing is that the team enters the game with the belief that they can get the desired result.
"He (coach) wants me to play a bit different. And I understand what he is trying to do. I am just taking on the role and trying to execute as best as possible," Bailey said.
"Everything is a process and I believe that you have to keep believing in the process. If you don't, it doesn't make sense," he remarked.
"Not because you lose one game you let it define everything else that has been happening. So we have to keep believing and showing up and believe in the process," he told a pre-match press conference on Sunday.
Another factor fuelling their confidence is the Jamaican team's outstanding away record. The Reggae Boyz have recorded six wins and a draw in their last seven road matches.
"The (away) form has been great. We have to try and keep improving on it and get even better. Tomorrow (today) is a tough game and since we have been in such good away form, hopefully we can use that as confidence and try to get the win," he said.
