National technical director, Rene Simoes (second left), gives instructions at a training session at the National Stadium on Monday evening. Looking on (from left) are assistant Alfredo Montesso, fitness trainer Junior Samuels, Tyrone Marshall (partially hidden), Deon Burton (second right) and assistant coach, Theodore Whitmore. (Photo: Bryan Cummings)

Jamaica will look to continue their recent dominance of Caribbean neighbours, Trinidad & Tobago, when the two meet in a friendly international encounter here at the National Stadium at 7:00 pm today.

Though there are no points or trophies at stake this time around, the bragging rights that come with each and every victory will be something worth savouring.

Today marks the 58th match between the two teams since their first contest on December 28, 1935, and the statistics show Jamaica with a slender advantage of 25 wins and eight draws against 24 losses.

However, the Reggae Boyz have been dominant in recent years, recording five straight wins (2-1 three times, 1-0 and 4-2, respectively), dating back to July 2000.

Midfielder Khari Stephenson (left) tries to maintain possession against defender Tyrone Marshall during a Reggae Boyz practice session at the National Stadium on Monday evening. (Photo: Bryan Cummings)

Recent results could have very little bearing on today's contest however, as the teams will parade almost entirely new squads ahead of the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers in mid-year.

For technical director, Rene Simoes, his objective is to see improvement in three important areas - transition, recovering the ball and keeping possession of the ball.

"We have three aims for this game, the first is transition. It's like... basketball. When you try a basket if and when you get the ball you attack, so we have to transfer quickly from defence to attack," Simoes said.

"So when you throw the ball and land on the ground you become a defender, so this is what we practise... so we can transfer ourselves quickly from one thing to another thing. We cannot be long time to take this decisions, it must be bang! bang! bang!"

He added: "Another point is if I lose the ball I am responsible to recover that ball, against Costa Rica sometimes we lost some balls and we watched, we are not there to watch, we did not pay for tickets, on field we don't pay for tickets, so we don't watch, we have to work.

"The third one is to keep the ball, as we did in Brazil. Don't give the ball away which is a very important point. So we practised all these three points... and they responded well, let's see during the game."

Eleven overseas-based players - including Deon Burton, who played an integral role in Jamaica's historic qualification to the France 1998 World Cup Finals - have been invited to complement 13 local-based players.

Burton, who scored the decisive goal in Jamaica's 2-1 win over Trinidad & Tobago at Queen's Park Oval in a World Cup Qualifier on June 30, 2001, last represented Jamaica against England in a friendly match at Old Trafford two years ago.
Also making a return to the squad is AIK's midfielder, Khari Stephenson, who was not considered for Simoes's first game.

The Brazilian, who returned to the island last week after guiding the local-based players on a three-week training camp in his homeland, has promised to showcase a number of these players at some stage today "because they did so well" on the training camp.

". Let's see how they play in front of the Jamaican fans, that will encourage all Jamaican players that play local leagues - and don't think local league has no importance - it is very important to the national programme, so they know that we have our eyes on them and if they play good they will be invited," the coach said.

With Bolton's Ricardo Gardner out with a rib injury, the captain's armband will go to either Wigan's striker Marlon King or defender Marshall of Toronto FC, who salvaged a share of the spoils with an equalising header against Costa Rica on Simoes's first game back in charge.

On Monday, Simoes employed a tactical session aimed at the vital areas identified earlier. He did not finalise a starting XI, but started with Donovan Ricketts in goals, guarded by the local pair of Adrian Reid and Christopher Harvey, with Marshall and Obrian Woodbine on the flanks. The midfield was marshalled by Demar Phillips, Rudolph Austin, Oneil Thompson and Omar Daley, with Luton Shelton and Burton in attack.

King was given a rest, having flown long hours from London, with overlays in New York and Fort Lauderdale ranging from three-five hours. He is expected to start today.

The T&T Soca Warriors arrived without the Sunderland pair of Kenwyne Jones and Carlos Edwards, who have been termed "unfit" to travel by Sunderland manager, Roy Keane.

Still, the Francisco Maturana-coached young side is confident, having edged El Salvador 1-0 last week, and manager David Mohammad knows what to expect in this great Caribbean rivalry.

Said he: "First of all, we've always in the past been highly respectful of what the JFF has to offer. We recognise and appreciate that Jamaican football has a flavour of its own that is largely fuelled by the motivation that the Jamaican public provides. And just the spirit and determination of Jamaica as an entity, we know that it's going to be a fierce, tough game, that we would have to be firing on all cylinders just to keep up."

Maturana guided his native Colombia to the World Cup Finals on two occasions, capped by a famous 5-0 thrashing of Argentina in World Cup qualification for the 1994 USA Finals. He also coached Costa Rica and Panama.

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