Alvas Powell could face the fire
Promising young defender Alvas Powell could be thrown into the firing line against the Mexicans and the United States in two crucial World Cup qualifiers on June 4 and 7 at the National Stadium, following a slew of injuries that has depleted the Jamaican backline.
Powell, who will be 19 on July 18, was given a starting role in the heart of the defence, partnering German-born new boy Daniel Gordon against Tottenham Hotspurs last Thursday and has impressed the coaching staff.
“To be honest with you, Alvas Powell… in all the games he played from in the Caribbean Cup and the last Tottenham game, it was an exceptional performance and he could be the main man come the fourth,” head coach Theodore Whitmore said.
With three crucial qualifiers against Mexico, USA and Honduras coming in the space of eight days, the month of June will be a defining one for the Reggae Boyz.
Jamaica are at the bottom of the six-team group on two points from three games behind leaders Panama with five ahead of Costa Rica, USA and Honduras all on four points with the mighty Mexico on three points.
“We have lost basically 75 per cent of our key players around the back… Demar Phillips out, Nosworthy and Jermaine Taylor and that’s why we are here. We have Daniel Gordon, we have O’Brian Woodbine who is back in the frame as well. So it’s just for us to get the right chemistry and right component going into the game against Mexico,” said Whitmore.
Meanwhile, Jamaica’s all-time leading goalscorer Luton Shelton was left out of the training camp after some below par performances despite scoring a beautiful freekick against the USA last September in Kingston, which gave the Reggae Boyz their historic 2-1 win in Kingston
“Again we have four strikers which is Ryan Johnson, Theo Robinson, Beckford (Jermaine) and Mattocks (Darren), who played an excellent game against Tottenhnam,” Whitmore reiterated.
“I wouldn’t say Luton Shelton would be out but we just looking on our opponent and how we want to approach this game with the four strikers who we think can match-up for us in these games,” he added, before taking charge of Tuesday’s training session at the JFF Technical Centre at the UWI.
Jamaica teen-aged defender Alvas Powell (left) and Reggae Boy teammate Rodolph Austin in a training session at the JFF Technical Centre in March.
