Boyz begin Caribbean tour against Barbados today
CHRISTCHURCH, Barbados — Head coach Winfried Schäefer will get the chance to see some home-grown talent when Jamaica battle Barbados in a friendly game tonight at the National Stadium in St Michael.
Kick-off is slated for 7:30 pm Jamaica time.
Schäefer, who recently agreed to a four-year contract with the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), said players have the chance to impress him ahead of a catalogue of other practice games that the federation has planned.
“Tomorrow we have to go out with confidence, with courage, with power and it’s a friendly match, so we’ll change players and everybody can show me (ahead of)… the next matches against Serbia and Switzerland and France,” he said, in reference to scheduled friendly internationals against the European teams later in the year.
“I can see our local players and others born in Jamaica who play in the MLS (United States Major League Soccer).
“These are players for the future and we have a good mix with experienced players, youngsters, and I hope everybody gives more than 100 per cent,” the coach told the Sunday Observer yesterday.
Jamaica have, more often than not, enjoyed success against the Barbadians, but the Caribbean rivals have not faced each other often in recent times. Their latest encounter came in the 2005 Digicel Cup final, which Jamaica won 1-0.
Schäefer, who initially joined the Reggae Boyz last August for four months, taking over from Theodore Whitmore near the end of the disappointingly unsuccessful Brazil 2014 World Cup campaign, conceded he has limited knowledge of today’s opponents.
However, the German tactician expressed confidence of a positive showing.
“I don’t know about them. Maybe I go onto the Internet and look, but I don’t know the Barbados players (and), our players have to show tactical discipline. We don’t need DVD (video recording) from Barbados,” he said.
Up to press time yesterday, the Jamaicans were locked in their first and only practice session at Briar Hall here in Christchurch after arriving in Barbados via Miami late on Friday.
They were not able to practise at the multi-purpose match venue because of a track meet being staged there.
After tonight’s match, the Jamaicans depart tomorrow for St Lucia where they clash with the hosts on March 5.
Jamaica squad — Andre Blake, Gariece McPherson, Upston Edwards, Dicoy Williams, Hughan Gray, Alvas Powell, Kemar Lawrence, John Ross Edwards, Renae Lloyd, Je-Vaughn Watson, Nicholas Beckett, Nicholi Finlayson, Romario Campbell, Ricardo Morris, Deshorn Brown, Michael Seaton, Darren Mattocks.