Reggae Boyz Head Coach Mr Steve McClaren is obviously a good communicator, but also he seems to possess his fair share of that equally admirable quality: humility.

As Mr McClaren critiqued Jamaica’s drab 0-0 result with Honduras at the National Stadium in St Andrew on Monday night, he acknowledged that he, as well as his players, had made errors.

Importantly, he didn’t neglect to say that the endgame is Jamaica’s qualification for the Fifa World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico in 2026.

Said Mr McClaren: “[W]e [Reggae Boyz] made mistakes but we were still brave enough to continue keeping the ball and searching, which is difficult to do, but if you want to get to the World Cup you’re going to have to be able to want the ball, deal with the ball, and be brave on the ball. The mentality, that’s what we’re looking for.”

And as a coach who is learning about his players, Mr McClaren seems intent on improving decision-making relative to team selection.

“I’m learning so much,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m making mistakes as well, but I’m learning. The more mistakes I make, the quicker I will learn and we will get to a squad and a team which will get better and better,” he added.

Notwithstanding that they failed to score for the second time in a month on home soil, following a draw with Cuba last month, and that there was a glaring inadequacy of attacking play, the Jamaicans, on the strength of two away wins against Honduras and Nicaragua, topped their group in the Concacaf Nations League.

They will now meet regional powerhouse United States in the quarter-finals, with the winner over two legs qualifying for next year’s Concacaf Gold Cup.

A concern, referred to by Jamaica’s goalkeeper and Captain Mr Andre Blake, was the state of the football playing surface at the National Stadium.

“The pitch was not the best, and maybe some players are just not used to it,” Mr Blake told our reporter, even while conceding that both teams played on it.

While he did not specify, available evidence suggests that the surface was too soft — perhaps reflecting inadequate drainage after heavy rain over several days. We have also heard a suggestion that the surface was uneven.

Installing and maintaining a modern football playing surface must be central to Government’s ambitious redevelopment plans for the National Stadium.

In that respect, we welcome a comment by Concacaf President Mr Victor Montagliani on his recent visit to Jamaica that “…we’re here to help… in any technical way we can when they’re going through the processes of design…”

Also, we hear that security was a problem on Monday night with cars broken into during the game and at least one stolen – later recovered.

We welcome news that although the security breakdown did not happen within the parking areas run by Independence Park Limited, efforts will be made to prevent such incidents going forward.

If spectator support — the 12th man — is to be maximised, proper security will be critical going forward.

All aspects, not just football itself, must be addressed as we build towards qualification for the next Fifa World Cup.