Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz lost 2 nil to the USA in their fourth game of the final round of Concacaf World Cup qualifiers. Here are my player ratings for the game.

Andre Blake: 6 – He can’t be blamed for either goal. Had some good saves but we are still failing to deal effectively with balls coming from squares.

Damian Lowe: 4 – His worst showing in a reggae Boyz shirt and we hope it is an anomaly. Tried to do too much with the ball in his danger area, lost possession carelessly and was lucky to remain on the field especially with the absence of VAR.

Adrian Marriapa: 5- Slightly better than Lowe on the night. The chemistry and decisiveness of the Costa Rica game was missing. We keep conceding goals the same way.

Kemar Lawrence: 5- Taxi looked old and slow in this game. His physicality didn’t work and he did perhaps more defensive work than he bargained for. Lucky to not be sent off early.

Alvas Powell: 5 – It wasn’t a great game for Powell and he was caught walking when his marker left him during the build up to the second goal. Didn’t show any urgency, no fight.

Jevaugh Watson: 5 – Showed his age and stage. A lumbering, stumbling display. Fought hard but always two steps behind the game. Had no chemistry with Speedy Williams.

Devon Williams: 5 – Speedy fought to influence the game and while he did fairly well in the first half finding a few passes out of midfield, he was anonymous for the second as was the entire midfield.

Jamal Lowe: 6 – Showed a few glimpses of promise. A couple of good runs and carved out a decent chance. Did his defensive work but was feeding from scraps.

Tyreek Magee: 5 – A difficult game for Magee who could not impose himself. Apart from one shot early on when given the space, when the space was taken away he didn’t look as good.

Bobby Reid: 5- Largely anonymous display from Bobby Reid. Expected him to see more of the ball and to try to impose himself. 

Shamar Nicholson: 6 – Probably our best player on the night. Should have scored but proved not decisive enough. Hassled the US defenders, won headers and was a physical presence all night. His midfield let him down.

Javon East: 5 – He came on and looked busy. Got himself about but couldn’t change the game.

Junior Flemmings: 5- Looked shell shocked after coming on and didn’t get to the speed of the game.

Javain Brown: 4 – Thrown into the deep end when the US were really dominating and couldn’t get a foot in.

Kemar Roofe: 5 – Injected some life into the attack and made some good runs. Too late to actually change the outcome.

Coach Theodore Whitmore: 4 – Team didn’t have a plan. No tactics, or the team isn’t listening to him. At least his changes brought some life to the team but one feels his team selection will come into focus again.

Nicholas Stewart is a KSAFA Major League winning coach and two-time ‘Coach of the Year’. In a career spanning more than two decades, he has coached Olympic Gardens FC, Allman/Woodford, Pembroke Hall and Camperdown High among other teams. You can contact him at pacdifirst@gmail.com.