MEXICO CITY, Mexico — In an encounter that is likely to see chances coming few and far between for the visitors, Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz are keen to have their aim dead right in tonight’s World Cup qualifying showdown with Mexico.

Shooting was an area of concern for Jamaica as they lost 0-1 to tournament hosts United States at the Concacaf Gold Cup quarter-finals this summer. Before that, the faulty finishing was even more glaring as they went down by a similar margin to 10-man Costa Rica during the group stage of the region’s biennial football showpiece.

Cory Burke and Shamar Nicholson, two of the frontmen for the Boyz at the Gold Cup again expected to carry the bulk of the goalscoring responsibilities against the Mexicans, are determined to set things right if given the opportunity.

“It’s gonna take focus and the right decision-making so that when the chance comes we take it. We can’t afford to waste chances like in the Gold Cup,” the gangling Burke, 29, told the Jamaica Observer yesterday from the team’s base in Mexico City.

“We have to just go out there and stick together and play hard for the 90 minutes. We have to stay focused — we can’t for a minute take our mind off the game,” the striker, who plays for Philadelphia Union in the US Major League Soccer (MLS), reiterated.

Nicholson, the other half of the six-foot tall attacking force for Jamaica, has been hitting the highs for Charleroi in Belgian club football this season.

“It’s going really well [in Belgium] — five games with four goals and one assist. I think I’m in good shape and good form.

“With the Reggae Boyz I think the chemistry is improving day by day and [midfielder Anthony] Grant is maybe the only new player, so we understand each other. So I think it’s really important for tomorrow’s game,” the 24-year-old forward told the Observer.

While Jamaica have been far more consistent against the region’s bigwigs in recent years, Mexico, a traditional powerhouse in Concacaf guided by former Barcelona and Argentina head coach Gerardo Martino, will start the encounter as clear favourites.

And though the Azteca Stadium, set to host the 9:00 pm kick-off, will lack the intimidating ingredient of the raucous home supporters, it’s always been a Mexico fortress.

The stadium is nestled in the capital city at roughly 2,200 metres above sea level — a lung-busting ordeal for unaccustomed visiting teams due to the thin air at that height.

The magnitude of the challenge has not been lost on either player.

“They are one of the strongest teams [though] playing in the Azteca might not be the same [as in the past] because there aren’t going to be any fans. That can be a big part of us getting even a point away from home. It’s a good team, they have a good coach — I’ve played against him in the MLS as well, when he was at Atlanta United,” said Burke, who formerly represented Rivoli United and Portmore United in Jamaica.

Nicholson added: “It’s an important game and it also will be a very difficult one, knowing it’s in Mexico and they have that advantage. But for me, personally, we just think that anything is possible, we just have to work as a team. I have experience with the high altitude playing in Peru, so I know what to expect.”