JAMAICA’S Reggae Boyz suffered a hurtful 0-2 loss to Curacao on Friday which put a slight dent in their quest for automatic Fifa World Cup qualification. Captain Andre Blake is urging his teammates to use the setback as they seek to bounce back against Bermuda.

The national senior men’s team take on the Bermudans at 7:00 this evening at the National Stadium, in their Concacaf World Cup Qualifying final-round Group B match.

Before last Friday, Jamaica were possibly six points shy of qualifying for next summer’s World Cup as victories over Curacao and Bermuda would have brought their total to 12 points, making it nearly impossible for the other teams, including Trinidad and Tobago, to catch up.

However, they slid to second in Group B with Curacao moving top on seven points, giving that country the advantage. Trinidad are third with four points and Bermuda are yet to get off the mark.

Goalkeeper Blake, who missed the first two wins against Bermuda and Trinidad, says the defeat was tough to take but says the team cannot afford to slip up again in their quest to regain control of the group.

“As professionals playing football I think we have enough experience in the room to know that at some point you’re going to lose a game. It’s always about reacting — and great teams, great players find a way to react,” he said.

“We’re all very [displeased] about the results so we all know that we have to react — and I have no doubt that we’re going to react, and react in a positive way. So, we just have to learn from what happened in the last game and become better from that.”

Though disappointed with the team’s performance against Curacao, Blake says keeping the spirits high ahead of the Bermuda game is crucial to avoid any lingering effects.

“[As] the captain there’s a few things that you’re always going to say but we also had to ensure that we keep a positive locker room and keep a positive mindset because we have a quick turnaround to the next game,” he said.

“You just have to learn from these games and find a way to quickly put it behind you. Because if you find yourself starting to carry [it] too long it might affect the next game, which you don’t want, because whatever happened in that game is already gone. It’s already done. There’s nothing you can do to change the result.

“But you can’t just put it away — you have to learn from it, analyse it, see what went well, what didn’t go so well, and just find a way to quickly move on, stay positive, because the most important game is the next game.”

As the Reggae Boyz veteran at 34 years old and approaching 90 caps, Blake has seen various highs and lows, including three unsuccessful World Cup Qualification attempts.

However, the Philadelphia Union star is desperate to end Jamaica’s near 30-year drought and make an impact on the world’s biggest tournament.

“All I want right now is to do whatever I can to make my teammates proud, to make the nation proud, and to make the fans proud, because I think Jamaica deserves this,” he said. “The goal at hand is to qualify, and I’ll do everything I can. I’m pretty sure all my teammates would do the same, and we’re going to go for it because we think the country deserves it.”

BLAKE… I have no doubt that we’re going to react, and react in a positive way

Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz train at the National Stadium on Monday on the eve of the Concacaf World Cup Qualifying final round encounter against Bermuda on Tuesday.  (Photos: Karl Mclarty)

Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz footballer Joel Latibeaudiere (foreground) passes the ball as trainer Lamar Morgan looks on during team training at the National Stadium on Monday, October 13, 2025.