PHOENIX, United States — Clearly unhappy with the underwhelming performances of his Reggae Boyz despite advancing to the quarters here, Head Coach Theodore Whitmore set about tackling that deficiency with a rigorous 9:30 am training session yesterday.

The former Reggae Boyz star player took his players through a near 90-minute routine at the Scottsdale Community College, which had the usual warm-up and technical exercises followed by a tactical drill which was geared towards having them “track” their markers while improving their “decision making”. It was a full-field scenario with two goals, back to back at half line, and two sets on teams in either half competing and exercising the option to switch play to the other half.

Whitmore has been critical of his players for not displaying enough improvement from game one against Curacao through to the last preliminary game against El Salvador. He was obviously pleased with the result, fully aware of the importance of same in tournament setting.

Oniel Fisher, who was substituted after picking up a hamstring injury against El Salvador on Sunday, was the only player exempted from yesterday’s session. He jogged lightly and had his right hamstring iced by masseur Garone Brown.

The session was completed with a shooting drill and Darren Mattocks, Jamaica’s top striker so far with two goals, and Alvas Powell looked particularly lively throughout, with Mattocks finding the net on a few occasions, and defender Powell displaying his offensive capabilities in advanced positions, while finishing like any established attacker.

An even earlier session is scheduled for the same venue today, as Whitmore and his support staff factor in the unbearable Phoenix heat which soared to just under 100 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday morning, and forecast for a high of 102 degrees Fahrenheit today.

The early morning session also gives the players more time to rest and recover for tomorrow’s game against Canada, set for the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. It starts at 4:30 pm (6:30 pm Jamaica time).

Mexico and Honduras will meet in the second game of the double-header three hours later, with the two winners progressing to the semi-finals at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Sunday.

The final is set for Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Wednesday, July 26.

The winners walk away with US$1 million, with the runners-up set to pocket US$500,000. Beaten semi-finalists take away US$150,000 each and beaten quarter-finalists pocket US$125,000.

Unlike the last edition in 2015 when the Reggae Boyz advanced to the final for the first time before being beaten 1-3 by Mexico, and they pocketed the entire prize money, the Jamaica Football Federation and the team have agreed to a prize sharing as follows:

Players receive 40 per cent of any prize money received, while 10 per cent goes to the support staff, with the federation retaining the remainder.

— Ian Burnett