Reggae Boy Oniel Fisher, who notched his maiden international goal last month, says firm self-belief and the support of his teammates have been a large part of his growing importance to the Jamaica football team.

Having the ability to play right back as well as more attacking roles farther up the wing or in midfield, the versatile player has proven himself a valuable asset for Head Coach Theodore Whitmore.

As the Jamaicans brace for today’s Concacaf World Cup football qualifier versus the youthful and highly talented United States team inside the National Stadium, it is expected that Fisher’s role could be pivotal.

“I feel good, just staying level-headed and [I’m] fighting each time I get to step on the field to represent the country. It’s not just about me – without my teammates there wouldn’t be my performances. We need each other and that [unity] plays a very important role,” Fisher, who turns 30 next week, told the Jamaica Observer after the Reggae Boyz practised at the National Stadium on Sunday.

In October, it was Kemar Roofe’s first-half strike and Fisher’s well-taken, late curler which handed the Boyz a historic 2-0 win in the qualifier away to Honduras. Fisher said getting that goal is up there with the “biggest moments” of his football career.

“It’s definitely, for me, one of my biggest moments ever, because that’s my first goal for the national team. And it came in a game in which we needed three points to kind of give ourselves some hope. I feel great about scoring that goal and helping the team to secure the three points,” said the Los Angeles Galaxy player.

“It was definitely a memorable one and I was very delighted to score that. It’s been an up and down year… and scoring that goal kind of lifted a burden and has given me more confidence,” he said.

“In the Honduras game I started out as a right wingback and then we kind of switched the formation 15 minutes into the game, and I played right wing instead. I had played in that position for the national team before, so it was not a new position or experience for me.

“I embrace all these challenges and I try to do them to the best of my ability. If I can do a certain job that the team needs to get the result then [I will do it]. I can do more, but I’m pleased at this point with the minutes I’ve got and what I’ve done with those minutes,” Fisher told the Observer.

Some would argue that his impact was even more telling in Jamaica’s nil-all draw with Canada in Kingston during the same October window. His main assignment on that day was to quell the danger posed by skilful Bayern Munich wide player Alphonso Davies.

Fisher, who has played club football at Seattle Sounders and DC United, and the speed-train Davies, a former Vancouver Whitecaps footballer, have duelled many times in US Major League Soccer.

“Against Canada I knew the task that I had, and at right back I played against Alphonso Davies on multiple occasions. I embraced that challenge and in that role I think I did an excellent job, despite the fact that we only tied the game,” he noted.

United States lead the Concacaf final-round qualifying with 14 points, while Mexico, who are also on 14 points, occupy second place due to an inferior goal difference. Canada (13 points) are third, followed by Panama (11), Costa Rica (six), Jamaica (six), El Salvador (six) and Honduras (three).

Only the top three countries from the region are assured of a place to the 2022 World Cup Finals in Qatar, with the fourth-place finisher having the chance for another spot via an intercontinental play-off.