BALTIMORE, Maryland — Assistant head coach Miguel Coley says if the Reggae Boyz fall short in their bid to win the CONCACAF Gold Cup, it would be deemed a disappointment.

If not for the players, certainly for him, as the confidence level of this Jamaica unit is high.

“We would be disappointed because these guys are dreaming big and the opportunity is there to win and I guess if they don’t take it, they would be disappointed and I would be disappointed too,” said Coley.

In keeping with their goal of going all the way, the Boyz have taken a step closer by defeating Haiti 1-0 here at the M&T Bank Stadium to schedule a semi-final meeting with long-time nemesis USA in Atlanta on Wednesday. “We just have to be mentally focused and plan very well against the USA,” Coley said.

“We are happy as this is the third time we are making it to the semifinals, but now we need to rest and recuperate as best as possible and get ready for the USA,” he added. Giles Barnes, the Houston Dynamo favourite, scored the all-important goal in the seventh minute.

The move started with Captain Rodolph Austin, whose visionary pass picked out Crystal Palace’s Adrian Mariappa breaking free down the right side. The latter quickly controlled the ball, then crossed low inside for Barnes, who rifled low off the legs of goalkeeper Johny Placide.

Coley, the Jamaica College coach in reflecting on the game, thought the character and mental toughness of the Boyz won the day.

Still, he wants the players to be more clinical at the business end. “I think the guys were mentally tough, but we still need to be more clinical,” he observed. Coley, who is in charge of the Under-23 Olympic team, told Jamaican reporters that as the game progressed, the tactics were adjusted to suit the merging situations.

“Haiti dictated the game in the first half and we tried to get them on the counter, and we had our opportunities as that (counterattack) drives fear into opponents as we attacked in numbers,” he noted. “I think we were able to press them, so they couldn’t turn and start playing passes forward.

In the second half, we pressed them some more and forced them to go back,” Coley said. Meanwhile, head coach Winfried Schaefer says his Reggae Boyz want more than what they have achieved so far in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

“Everybody wants more — the players want more, the coach wants more and Jamaica wants more,” Schaefer said at a postmatch press conference. Although he hailed a great team performance, the German singled out the elder statesman of the team, Jobi McAnuff, for special praise.

“We lost Watson, who is an important player, and Jobi came in that position and had a fantastic game… he’s 33 years old and so good. He can play there (forward midfielder), on the right, he can play anywhere,” Schaefer said.

Yesterday, the reserve players had a training session, while those who played in the game had a recovery session. The group was due to depart Baltimore for Atlanta last evening.