WIN or bust!

That’s the simplest and most basic charge from Reggae Boyz Head Coach Theodore Whitmore to his players ahead of today’s Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 Concacaf Qualifier inside an empty National Stadium at 5:00 pm.

In other Concacaf games on today, Costa Rica host El Salvador in San Jose at 5:00 pm, Honduras travel to Mexico City to face the hosts at 5:45 pm, while United States travel to Panama City for an 8:05 pm encounter.

The US lead the eight-team points standing with eight points, just ahead of Mexico on goal difference. They are followed by Canada on six points with Panama and El Salvador next on five points. Costa Rica and Honduras follow on three points, with Jamaica rooted at the foot of the table on one point.

Had the pandemic not emerged last year, Canada and El Salvador would not have been a part of the hexagonal (final six qualifiers), based on their Fifa and Concacaf rankings at the time. But be it sports politics or not, they are here and are doing very well, and Whitmore and his charges can expect no favours from their foes today.

That the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) is void of the requisite finances to adequately manage the team through the qualifiers is no secret, and that reality forced the rejection of Whitmore’s request for a 26-player pool for these three games instead of 23 — and the consequences of that decision are hanging over the team’s head like the proverbial sword of Damocles.

The Jamaicans were short-staffed going into last Thursday’s game, having lost three players through injury — central defenders Liam Moore and Ethan Pinnock, as well as midfielder Daniel Johnson. Then there was the late withdrawal of striker Michail Antonio after his request to have his personal physiotherapist travel for the games was denied by a member of the technical staff.

That left the squad, slated to contest three games in seven days, with just 17 outfield players and three goalkeepers. Cavalier Football Club central defender Jamoi Topey had been drafted in as cover for the absence of the aforementioned, but to add insult to injury, central defender Damion Lowe picked up his second yellow card caution of the final round in the first half last Thursday, having already been cautioned late in the game against Costa Rica.

Lowe will now serve an obligatory one-game suspension today, which leaves the squad further exposed and significantly weakened. His absence and the lack of adequate cover also necessitate a change in team structure and possible personnel, based on the players present.

Midfielder Anthony Grant has been added to the squad, and without giving too much away Whitmore admitted that changes are forthcoming.

“Lowe [Damion] is out, so we will have to look on the composition of the team based on the fact that we don’t have the services of some defenders (who are out injured), so we will have to see how best we can approach the game with those missing puzzles,” Whitmore told the Jamaica Observer.

He added: “We have to approach the game differently, because one of my major concerns is conceding goals so I think we have to tighten up that area, so there might be a number of changes on how we approach the Canada game.”

Canada have looked a high-quality team and their results have borne that out. After drawing with Honduras at home Canada have managed to tie the US away and swamp El Salvador, before a very composed and deserved 1-1 draw with Mexico in the Azteca.

They are no pushovers and though there are reports that some of their stars will be missing, they are heavily stacked with talent, none more obvious than Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies as well as Jonathan David, David Hoilett — who could have represented Jamaica — and Atiba Hutchinson.

Still, Whitmore believes there are areas of weakness that can be exploited and he hopes his players will be able to pick their moments and pounce when the opportunities arise.

Win and stay in the qualifiers, with all of six of the 10 remaining games at home. At the moment, nothing else will suffice on this journey which is becoming very bumpy.