PANAMA CITY, Panama — Head coach Theodore ‘Tappa’ Whitmore says all the pieces to the Reggae Boyz puzzle are coming together and vowed that fans will see a competent unit for the opening CONCACAF World Cup qualifying game in Kingston on Friday.

The former Jamaica star, who has faced stinging criticism with his team’s horrific performance in a 0-1 losing cause against Panama on Sunday at the team’s fortress, said Friday night’s showing was more positive, even as the team lost 1-2 to the hosts playing in front of about 15,000 of their home support at the Rommel Fernandez Stadium here.

“I think it was a much better performance than the last game as we made a couple of changes to our starting line-up, likewise Panama, who made eight changes (from the team that started in Kingston).

“I think the first half was a gutsy performance where we were more organised and we kept our shape, but unfortunately we gave up a goal, and then got back in the game,” said Whitmore, who and his team were ‘booed’ in a rare display by the local fans after a tame offering.

With a solid first half in the bag and the scores tied at 1-1, the Boyz started a meltdown in the last 20 minutes or so which put the hosts in the driver’s seat with their ball possession and quick counter-attacking forays launched from all available angles.

“In the second half we made a couple of changes and I think that worked up to the first 30 minutes (of the half), and I think in the last 15 minutes I thought we lost our discipline. But overall, I thought it was a fairly good performance,” said Whitmore, a two-goal hero of the France 1998 FIFA World Cup.

With his players due for a one-week camp in the north coast town of Braco, Whitmore told the Sunday Observer that the focus will be to get all critical elements, but stressed that emphasis will be placed on getting the chemistry right.

“Our main objective right now is to get the chemistry. these two games were two important games and we have gone through our bad patch now, and both the coaching staff and team realise that we have a job at hand to do and we just have to go out there and do it,” said the former Jamaica captain.

While some football watchers believe that some key areas on the field, for example the defence and midfield, need fixing, Whitmore’s point of view contradicts theirs.

“There aren’t too much concerns about positions as we have a lot of players, it’s just to put the right players (together),” said Whitmore, whose heartland is Montego Bay.

Having lost back-to-back games on the eve of a World Cup-qualifying engagement, Whitmore has yet again reached out to impatient fans, telling them that the best of the Boyz is yet to come.

“I don’t want them to judge us on practice games as the big thing is June 8, and we have been trying and experimenting as we can afford to get it wrong now and I think when the World Cup qualifier comes around, we will be blazing on all guns,” he said.

The players and technical staff were expected to arrive in Montego Bay today from Panama where they will then be driven to Braco, their ‘Mission to Rio’ base.

Meanwhile, the home side on a hot and humid Panama City night in Friday’s match-up went ahead in the 33rd minute through Blas Perez, with the winner coming later in the 75th minute from Luis Renteria. Those goals sandwiched that of Jamaica’s Dane Richards in the 42nd.

In only the third minute, Panama threatened the Jamaican in a breakaway way move with Yairo Glaize down the right side, but his intended lob of goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts did not soar high enough to beat his towering hands.

Jamaica’s first real attempt on goal came in the ninth minute when Rodolph Austin, who had a solid game at the rightside of midfield, polished the dirty work of Dane Richards by driving goalward with the outside of the boot, but the Panamanian custodian Jaime Penedo was alert and well-placed to avert danger.

In another quick one-two down the right-side in the 16th minute, Panama’s Glaize gently laid a ball in for the irrepressible Armando Cooper to run onto to, but his lofted shot from the edge of the area bubbled over Ricketts’ goal.

After effectively competing in all areas of the park for the most part, Jamaica finally let their guard down in the 33rd minute when a ball from midfield dissected the defence, placing Perez between both central defenders, and instead of going for the powerhouse, the Panamanian cheekily lobbed Ricketts from 18 yards.

Jamaica were back on level terms in the 42nd minute when Richards pursued a ball from deep in his half, and with a favourable bounce, he got the faintest of touches that saw the ball trickle over the goal line with Panama with a lunging Felipe Baloy trying withour success to keep the ball out of the goal.

With a switch in the strike pair at half-time with the surprise entry of a supposedly “injured” Marlon King for Ricardo Fuller and Luton Shelton for Ryan Johnson, Jamaica looked a more dangerous team going forward for the first 25 minutes of the half.

But at the other end, Jamaica almost squandered their hard-earned position in the match when central defender Claude Davis in the 65th gave away possession in a dangerous area, but luckily for the Boyz, Alberto Quintero’s sight on goal needed adjusting.

But in his next move, Davis got it right when he made a timely header to deny a fast-approaching Renteria at the back post in minute 70.

Five minutes later, Renteria was loose on goal again, but this time he buried a low shot under Ricketts from the edge of the area after being nicely fed from deep by industrious midfielder Armando Cooper.