A close-knit unit, high on “team chemistry and camaraderie”, is how former goalkeeping stalwart Warren Barrett labelled the group of players which led Jamaica to the FIFA World Cup Finals in France in 1998.

Coached by astute Brazilian Rene Simoes and boasting the local talents of silky midfielder Theodore Whitmore, the powerful and versatile Onandi Lowe, the tricky and nimble forward Walter Boyd and the cunning defender Durrent Brown, the Reggae Boyz proved a formidable outfit within the CONCACAF region.

As the country embarks on the mighty expedition for the 2014 Brazil showpiece, starting with Guatemala later this evening, Barrett, who played over 100 international matches for Jamaica, said team unity was integral in the previous qualifying success.

“One thing that comes to mind immediately is that for the ’98 campaign we had over a year of preparation time. We had all of 1995 and some of 1996 before we played our opening qualifying game against Suriname.

“That was a huge plus for us. We lived together during that period, so we knew each other. We knew the good habits and the bad habits (of each player). So we didn’t have many issues when it came to team chemistry and camaraderie.

“Players were comfortable dealing with each other and we saw that on the field. Players had plenty of experience heading into that campaign because we went to Brazil twice, we went to Argentina and also to Africa,” Barrett told the Jamaica Observer in a telephone interview Tuesday evening.

The former Violet Kickers custodian added that during the entire campaign, proper nutrition, top-class training regime, the gritty commitment of the players and the overwhelming support of the fans were massive factors which ensured success.

However, Barrett, now a goalkeeping coach for the senior team, said he long predicted Jamaica would eventually suffer from more players being wooed from their local clubs by the financial benefits that await them on international shores.

“I had said some years ago that whenever the door becomes more open in Jamaica and more players get contracts abroad, the same shortfalls that affected Trinidad & Tobago would also affect us. Trinidad always had good individual players, but perhaps they lacked cohesion when they came together,” the 41-year-old said.

Given the Reggae Boyz’ modest friendly international results heading into today’s qualifying opener, Barrett nonetheless suggested that with time, the team will improve.

“Getting together four to five days before (a match) will sometimes not be enough time. It’s a work in progress for our team and of course the longer they play together the better the understanding will be,” he said.

Having been the captain of the 1998 set-up and now a part of this squad’s technical staff, Barrett undoubtedly has priceless insight into the comparison of both units.

While conceding that the class of ’98 consisted of high-quality players, he does not believe the current squad is any less talented.

“The team which qualified played plenty of matches together and that was a major factor. In terms of exposure, readiness and experience, this present batch is far ahead.

“These players play in top leagues around the world and they play week in and week out. There are perhaps only three players in this squad plying their trade in the local Premier League,” Barrett said.