KANSAS CITY, Kansas — Jamaican players who ply their trade professionally in the USA agree that this evening’s crucial CONCACAF World Cup qualifying match with the USA at Sporting Park here will be a tough encounter.

Though they have already booked their spot to Brazil 2014, the Americans will not be in the mood to do desperate Jamaica any favours as their coach Jurgen Klinsmann says he’s gunning for a win.

Houston Dynamo defender Jermaine Taylor, who could lead the Jamaicans into battle today as captain, said his team needs to focus on what it needs to do and shouldn’t place too much emphasis on the opponent, rather than to be devising ways to achieve victory over them.

“We have to just think about us rather than them and do what we have to do. Yes, I know we are playing away from home, but at the same time I am familiar with a lot of the players though I don’t know who the coach is going to play, but come Friday we have to do what we have to and look forward to what they have to offer.

“We have to think about the three points don’t matter what, and just do what we have to do to get them. From a training perspective, that has been good, and it’s now for us to transfer what happens here (training) to the game,” said Taylor, a veteran of the Reggae Boyz outfit.

Midfielder Je-Vaughn Watson of FC Dallas said he expects “a very physical game”, which gets under way at 5:30 pm in this mid-western US state.

“The US is a hard-running team, so we have to go out there and match their intensity. It certainly won’t be an easy game, especially playing in the USA, and they will be coming all out because they don’t want Jamaica to have anything over them.

“We have to just go out there and win this game, but we just have to be mentally strong,” said the former Sporting Central Academy player.

With the game set in a familiar backdrop for the USA-based professionals, Watson does not necessarily believe that in itself should be a requirement for North American players to be automatically selected for the game by coach Winfried Schafer.

“I really don’t think it’s all that important as we are all professional players, so it doesn’t matter if you play in England or the MLS, you just have to play hard and at the start of the game no one has an advantage, it’s who wants it the most will come out victorious,” said the midfielder, a native of St Catherine.

New invitee, striker Deshorn Brown, said American football is experiencing a steady pace of development, therefore Jamaica will have a tough, uncompromising opponent when they take the field today.

“The vibes is really good with the players, it’s just for us now to go and win the game… we have to go into this game with fight and determination, as they (US) are developing in football these days, plus their players are doing well overseas,” said the Colorado Rapids frontman, who is in the race for the title of MLS Rookie of the Year.

Jamaica must win the game today to keep them into the running for the fourth-place play-off spot, which would pit that team against the champions of Oceania for an additional spot for CONCACAF at the Brazil 2014 World Cup Finals.

The USA have already booked their spot to the next World Cup with their 16 points, so too Costa Rica, who have 15. Honduras are currently third on 11 points, while Panama and Mexico are each on eight points. Jamaica are at the bottom with a mere four points.

Other USA-based players in the 23-man squad are Alvas Powell, Ryan Johnson and Darren Mattocks.