HOUSTON, Texas — Football bosses in Jamaica have lent their voices to the chorus of platitudes being expressed in support of a Reggae Boyz team chasing glory at the ongoing CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Bouyed, if not inspired, by the team’s performance against Costa Rica in a come-from-behind 2-2 draw, the football executives have soaring expectations of what they described as a “quality Jamaica team”.

“I was particularly impressed with the second half as we were competitive and got clear chances and could have won the game…I think the performance against Costa Rica was very encouraging,” said Clarendon FA president Michael Ricketts.

“This team has good and committed players, but I think they need to be a bit more clinical and we really need to make use of our chances. I still think we have a realistic chance of at least getting into the semis,” added Ricketts, who is head of delegation here.

Hanover boss Sheridan Samuels believes the team’s run in the recent Copa America has helped in fortifying the team as a playing force.

“You can see where the participation in the Copa America really paid off, because the performance in the first game against Costa Rica was very impressive as a result,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

He noted that while the first-half performance against Costa Rica was a little too tentative for his liking, the team blossomed to its potential in the second half.

“The only problem I had was that they were slow in going forward in the first half, but they were good in the second half and I think we have a long way to go in this tournament.

“The prospect of this team is very good and you can see that success is down the road. And Jamaica, as a country, needs to know that they have a team capable of competing at a high level,” Samuels ended.

David Watts, vice-president of the St James FA, is of the view that the Copa America experience has helped in shaping this team into a competitive unit for the Gold Cup and the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

“Having watched them in the Copa America, and then coming here, I think we have set a base for the World Cup qualifiers,” he noted.

“I see this team possessing the potential to go very far in this tournament, at least to the semi-final,” Watts joined his colleagues in saying.

— Sean Williams