THE Reggae Boyz have secured a friendly international for the FIFA calendar window of October.

As the team intensifies its campaign to rotate and scout new players, the local governing body has secured a match with fellow CONCACAF nation Honduras at high altitude Tegucigalpa on October 11.

Jamaica, ranked 43rd by FIFA, are coming off four straight defeats — 2-0 against USA in the CONCACAF Gold Cup,1-0 against China, 5-2 against Ecuador and 2-0 against Colombia in friendly internationals.l

And though “not perturbed” by those results, fireworks can be expected between two teams needing to give their fans a lift.

Like Jamaica, Honduras (ranked 50th) lost 2-0 against Colombia on their last outing.

Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) boss Captain Horace Burrell said this match-up will give head coach Theodore Whitmore “a chance to further streamline the selection process of the team”.

“We’re fortunate to be getting a number of high profile opponents in varying conditions and… it gives the coaching staff an opportunity to see players perform in high pressure situations like what obtained in our last three matches,” Burrell noted.

Honduras will also want to settle old scores with Jamaica, with the latter getting the better of them on their last two meetings. At the CONCACAF Gold Cup in the USA in June, an auspicious Boyz outfit clipped them 1-0 in group play. And by the same scoreline, Jamaica were victorious in Kingston in a World Cup qualifier in October, 2008.

But at elevation of about 3,000 feet above sea level and a hostile home support, the Boyz will have their job cut out for them. But having played at 9,000 feet against Ecuador earlier this month, these debilitating conditions could be becoming more familiar to the Jamaicans.

“We’re not convinced that some players are giving a 100 per cent and we are swiftly seeing who these players are. For the Honduras match we will see who can cope because we’ll face some challenges as we will be entering hostile territory,” Burrell told the Sunday Observer yesterday.

The Boyz are expected to field a strong team of their US, Europe-based professionals and “the best” of the home-based talent pool.

With the promises of changes to the team after questionable offerings from some players in recent friendlies, Whitmore hinted that fans could see the introduction of “a few England-born professionals for the upcoming FIFA dates”.

“I’m satisfied that the coaching staff will be having a look at some England-born players as they aim to strengthen the team… this should be a warning to those players who have not given of their best to step up or they won’t be considered for the final squad for the qualifiers next year,” Burrell warned.

Jamaica will begin their CONCACAF World Cup qualifying campaign at the semi-final stage next June, and even with the recent poor results, the JFF remains upbeat the programme is on stream to get the team ready for the crucial play-offs, where they are grouped with another seeded team, nemesis USA.

Before leaving for Honduras, the JFF is desperately looking to ease the hunger of home fans with a match at ‘The Office’ on October 6 or 7.