WASHINGTON DC, USA — Central defender Damion Lowe is not waiting on an independent rating of the Reggae Boyz’s performance in Washington, DC, on Wednesday night.

So confident is he, that the towering player has boldly gone ahead to give his team a handsome passing grade, in what is being regaled as “one of the finest” all-round performance by the senior men’s team in a spell.

In their friendly international against Concacaf rivals and Gold Cup champions USA at the Audi Field in that the country’s capital, Jamaica mirrored the philosophy of total football in a rare win on American soil.

In two dominant halves, the Jamaicans were comfortable in possession, organised at the back, held the rein in midfield, transitioned smoothly, and were a constant threat on the offensive end.

Except for a few hiccups, it was football pleasing to the eyes, which brought joy to the hearts of the pockets of Jamaica supporters who roared the Boyz on with every bit of expression of artistry.

Slovenia-based striker and former Boys’ Town man got his first senior goal for Jamaica, rifling home from 22 yards to beat the US goalie Zack Steffen for the 1-0 victory in front of some 17,000 fans at the picturesque ground of MLS franchise, DC United.

“I believe it was a very good performance and I could easily grade the performance a nine out of 10… obviously we are not a perfect team because we made some small mistakes, but the great thing is that we were not seriously threatened as they (the USA) only got the occasional chance through a breakaway or two, but they were never able to break us down.

“At the other end we had the better scoring opportunities where we could have easily scored at least three goals,” said the Norway-based Lowe.

The IK Start defender believes the delivery on Wednesday night laid down a standard, to not only maintain, but to improve on going into the Gold Cup, with Jamaica set for their first Group C match against prickly Honduras in a historic double-header inside National Stadium on June 17.

“Before tonight’s (Wednesday’s) game we met and decided we wanted a good performance, and even a win so that we could have a good momentum going into the Gold Cup,” said the son of France World Cup veteran, Onandi.

Lowe, 26, said he was not surprised, but impressed with how the youthful and attack-minded triumvirate of Andre Lewis, Tyreek Magee and Alex Marshall equipped themselves when they were introduced into the fray in quick succession.

“I believe the main piece of the puzzle was the younger guys, as you could see that they are hungry… ‘LA’ Lewis, Tyreek Magee and Alex Marshall are all touch players and you could see they came in and slowed the game down in the last 20 minutes or so, and this helped us to keep possession [of the ball] some more, and as a back four that helped us a lot.

“Yes, it was a training game, but it was also a rival game and the coach you could see was trying different things, but overall it was fantastic,” Lowe said.

Another team stalwart Darren Mattocks deemed the execution an “overall professional display”.

“It was extra special with the younger guys coming on and keeping possession, and with their effort you could see growth potential of Jamaica’s football.

“And you know it is never going to be an easy game against the USA, especially in America, and for them [younger players] and the team to be able to get a performance like this is magnificent and this will be a good momentum going into the Gold Cup,” noted the FC Cincinnati forward, who was a substitute in the match.

Brian Brown, who formed part of a three-pronged attack with Dever Orgill and Maalique Foster, said “it was a good all-round performance, defensively and offensively”.

The Reno 1868 frontman says that Wednesday night’s dance party could be a sign of good things to come going into the Gold Cup, which Jamaica are losing finalists in 2015 and 2017.

“What this shows is that the guys are getting to know each other more each day and the performance tonight gives us a good platform to build on going into the Gold Cup.

“But a standout for me was to see how the youngsters came in and did what they did and this says a lot about the future of this team… it was good to see how they kept their composure and how they were enjoying the game, and the future for them and Jamaica’s football is very bright,” said Brown, the Sandy Bay, Hanover, native.

Right-back Alvas Powell, who like all the other defenders Lowe, Shaun Francis, and Kemar Lawrence, had a solid evening at the park, was equally impressed.

“We had two days to prepare and before the game everybody knew the job, but I believe we did pretty good as we followed the coach’s instruction.

“When it comes to the younger players, they came in very confident and they did what the coach asked them to and they came and changed the game and that was pretty good.

“But the performance, I think, was a good start going into the Gold Cup and it is always good with a good performance and it was important because we got to see where we are at as a team, so hopefully we can show the same energy we showed tonight in our first game at home,” reasoned the FC Cincinnati flank defender, who can be deployed in other positions if needed.

— Sean Williams