Jamaica will attempt to snatch 'victory' from the proverbial jaws of defeat when they host Canada here at the National Stadium at 8:00 pm in today's final round of the penultimate stage of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Finals.

Sitting in third position in Group Two, dubbed the 'Group of Death', behind leaders and regional powerhouse Mexico and Honduras, Jamaica's Reggae Boyz are faced with a number of possibilities if they are to snatch one of the two berths to the CONCACAF Final Round of qualifying which takes place between next February and October.

Jamal Campbell-Ryce (centre) juggles a ball while Jamaican teammates (from left) Tyrone Marshall, Marlon King (partially hidden) and Andy Williams look on during a training session at the National Stadium on Monday. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

One thing is sure: Win by seven clear goals and the Boyz are through to the next phase regardless of what happens in the game between Honduras and Mexico, which will be played simultaneously in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

Currently, Mexico lead with 10 points and a +4 goal difference; Honduras are next on nine points and a +3 goal difference, while Jamaica are third on seven points and a -3 goal difference. Canada, already eliminated, are bottom on two points with a -4 goal difference.

So with three nations chasing two berths, each needs the following results to guarantee progress to the next phase.
For Mexico, a win or a draw would see them safely through. If they lose they must hope that defeat combined with Jamaica's win does not enable the latter to overtake them on goal difference. Mexico would need to lose 0-1 combined with a 7-0 Jamaican win to miss out, or 0-2 and 6-0, 0-3 and 5-0 etc.
For Honduras, a win would secure their ticket. If they draw they must hope Jamaica do not win by seven goals, and if they lose, they need Canada to avoid defeat.

For Jamaica to advance, and if they were to win by less than seven goals, they would need a Mexican victory, or a Mexican defeat big enough to overturn the goal difference.

At the half-way stage of the round Jamaica were last in the four-team group with one point, prompting the sacking of technical director Rene Simoes for his failure to select the most experienced overseas professionals.

But 'Cometh the hour, Cometh the man' in the form of Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore, a two-goal hero of the France 1998 World Cup Finals and the man who was asked to guide the Boyz as interim head coach during the transition from Serbian Velibor 'Bora' Milutinovic and Simoes.

Whitmore registered back-to-back wins in friendlies and was saddled with the task again guiding the Boyz during the transition from Simoes to John Barnes, who was hired as head coach, effective November 1.

But somebody forgot to provide Whitmore with a script and the former silky-smooth midfielder miraculously kept the 'sinking ship afloat', beating Mexico and Honduras in return games at home by 1-0 margins, thus reviving Jamaica's hopes of a place in next year's competition.

He was rewarded by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) and put in charge of today's game, despite the hiring of Barnes as head coach.

Whitmore is well aware of what is required and told the Observer yesterday that "basically the team is mentally and physically ready and the players know what they have to do to get to the next phase".

And Whitmore, who has invited only 10 players who were a part of Simoes' 18-man team for the first game against Canada in his 22-man squad, says he will employ a 3-4-3 formation as the dynamics require a change from the previous games.

"We have a Marlon King in the team now and together with a Fuller (Ricardo) and a Shelton (Luton), I know that they are capable and I don't want to leave any stone unturned... we want to play with our strongest attacking team."

He is however keen for his players to remain calm and patient during the game. "We will play our game, be patient and not try to score from half-line every time. We have the players in midfield and in attack who can do the job and get the goals, one at a time," he opined.

He added: "We want to put away our chances because I know we are going to miss some, but we don't want to depend on Mexico; we want to do what we have to do here."
Whitmore said he had not yet finalised his team, but at Monday's session he had Donovan Ricketts in goal, guarded by Tyrone Marshall, Claude Davis, Ian Goodison and Demar Phillips in defence. Captain Ricardo Gardner and Jamal Campbell-Ryce flanked Rudolph Austin in midfield, with Fuller, King and Shelton posing different threats up front.

Austin is returning to the team after sitting out the last game against Honduras due to yellow card suspension.

Meanwhile, head coach Dale Mitchell has assembled an 18-man squad reflecting just one player, captain Paul Stalteri of Tottenham Hotspur, who was a member of his playing team in the first game at the BMO Field in Toronto, Canada on August 20.

Regular stars such as Patrice Bernier, Julian de Guzman, who scored in that 1-1 tie, and Adrian Serious were set to be unavailable due to injuries, while Mickael Klukowiski and Tomasz Radzinski were unavailable due to suspensions, and Iain Hume, who was originally selected to the squad, was forced out after suffering a skull fracture in a Barnsley vs Sheffield derby recently.

But Mitchell is unperturbed, and he is expecting his charges to provide stiff opposition for the Jamaicans.

"We know that it is going to be a tough match because Jamaica has done a good job of putting themselves in a position where the last game matters to them," he conceded, after a training session at the Edward Seaga Complex on Monday.

"But I think we have some young guys who are motivated to do well and we have some guys that have been with us through the campaign who I think will want to finish with a good show, so we wait to see what happens on Wednesday."

He also hinted that the game was geared towards rebuilding, due to Canada's current position in the qualifying campaign.

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