HOUSTON, Texas — Jamaica will today seek to further their cause of making it to the knockout phase of the CONCACAF Gold Cup when they take on a Canada team lacking in style, but full of fight.

Jamaica and Canada will get the double-header, scheduled for the 22,000-capacity BBVA Compass Stadium, underway at 5:30 pm, same time as Jamaica.

A mega Central America derby will bring the curtains down on the evening when group favourite Costa Rica and El Salvador cross swords at 8:00 pm.

As it stands, Jamaica and Costa Rica lead a very tight group on a point each following their entertaining 2-2 draw in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Though they, too, have a point each, Canada and El Salvador are further down the ladder after their goalless draw in the California double-header.

But the hot topic here prior to kick off is the weather.

In the early kick today where searing temperatures are expected to be in the high 90s, both sets of players will not only have a battle against each other, but they will have a common enemy to overcome in the harsh Texas heat.

The Boyz got their first taste of the unforgiving Houston sun and its fiery rays yesterday morning when they had a short training session at the Houston Amateur Sports Park, the training ground of the Houston Dynamo.

The players, especially those operating in England, could be seen stubbornly fighting back either by stripping down or regularly rehydrating themselves. But no one was spared the hellish conditions as even those not on the park doing a runabout felt the sun’s fury.

Captain Rodolph Austin is hoping that Jamaica, a land blessed with eternal sunshine in tropical paradise, will be able to use the weather to their advantage.

“We have to just hydrate ourselves and take the game to Canada because we are used to the heat more than them and hopefully it will be an advantage for us,” he told reporters here after yesterday’s blistering mid-morning session.

And after 90 or so minutes of play, the Boyz’ skipper sounded highly optimistic, as were other players, that victory should be on the cards.

“When we play games we want to win all the time and that is our aim to win this game,” Austin said.

Midfielder and goal-scorer of Jamaica’s second goal on Wednesday, Jobi McAnuff, who was substituted after a slight hamstring concern, is expected to take the field today.

“I am good. It’s just a bit of a twinge in my hamstring towards the end of the game (against Costa Rica), so from my point of view it’s just about protecting it as obviously it’s going to be a long tournament, so by coming off it has done that… I will definitely be able to play tomorrow (today),” said the Leyton Orient player.

McAnuff is now looking to help his team to victory and more likely a spot in the next phase of the competition.

“It’s a great opportunity (to move on) as we got a good result in the first game and probably should have won the game on that second-half performance. But the point is still good with the games to come…all we have to do is take care of business and make sure we perform the way we did, and I am confident of victory,” he said.

Central defender Wes Morgan, a titanic resisting force at the Jamaican backline, too, has the scent of victory.

“Judging from the positives from the last game, we are hoping to win the game. There is a lot to play for and if we can get the three points, maybe we can relax a bit so we can give some of the players a rest,” said the Liecester City man.

And as the chief organiser at the back, once again the 31-year-old is hoping to “be solid again”.

“My main job is to make sure everybody is performing as well as myself,” Morgan noted.

Jamaica are expected to field an unchanged side from the first game. Norway-based Dwayne Miller is expected to be in goal again, with Morgan and hometown boy Jermaine Taylor in the heart of defence, with New York Red Bulls’ Kemar Lawrence (left) and Crystal Palace’s Adrian Mariappa completing the defensive foursome. Ahead of them should be former Leeds skipper Austin and Dallas FC’s Je-Vaughn Watson, with Reading FC’s Garath McCleary (right side) and McAnuff drifting ahead and wide of them.

Again, Derby County’s Simon Dawkins and Houston Dynamo’s Giles Barnes will be the team’s sword edge.

Canada: Lars Hirschfeld (Valerenga/Norway), Quillan Roberts (Toronto FC/Canada), Kenny Stamatopoulos (AIK/Sweden), Andre Hainault (VfR Aalen/Germany), Dejan Jakovic (Shimizu S-Pulse/Japan), Nikolas Ledgerwood (Energie Cottbus/Germany), Ashtone Morgan (Toronto FC/Canada), Karl W Ouimette (New York Red Bulls/USA), Adam Straith (Fredrikstad/Norway), Tesho Akindele (FC Dallas/USA) Kyle Bekker (FC Dallas/USA), Julian de Guzman (Ottawa Fury/Canada), Marcel de Jong (Sporting Kansas City/USA), David Edgar (Birmingham City/England), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC/Canada), Pedro Pacheco (Santa Clara/Portugal), Samuel Piette (Deportivo La Coruña/Spain), Tosaint Ricketts (Hapoel Haifa/Israel), Russell Teibert (Vancouver Whitecaps/Canada), Maxim Tissot (Impact de Montreal/Canada), Marcus Haber (Crewe Alexandra/England), Simeon Jackson (Coventry City/England), Cyle Larin (Orlando City SC/USA).