Former Jamaica football coach Carl Brown is confident the Reggae Boyz will defeat Curacao on Tuesday to secure a second berth at the World Cup. The Group B Concacaf match takes place at the National Stadium.

Brown told Observer Online that with thousands of Jamaicans traumatised by the destruction of Hurricane Melissa, a feel-good story is needed.

“I believe we will win in the ‘Office’. I strongly believe we will see the best of the team next Tuesday,” said Brown, who lives in South Florida.

Curacao lead the group with 11 points, one ahead of Jamaica. They need only a draw to become the smallest country to qualify for the World Cup which takes place in 2026 in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Curacao beat Jamaica 2-0 at home in their first meeting on October 10.

Steve McClaren, Jamaica’s head coach, has been criticised in some quarters for his team selection in the November 11 match against Trinidad and Tobago which ended 1-1 in Port of Spain. But for Brown, it is all up to the players on Tuesday.

“We can talk all we want about the coaches and administrators, but it is the players who will have to step up and deliver. The country needs something to smile about and I feel they are going to give the country a victory,” he said.

A former defender for Jamaica and with Boys’ Town in the Major League, Brown was head coach of Jamaica when they won the Caribbean Cup in 1991. He held that position to technical director Rene Simoes when the team qualified for the 1998 World Cup in France six years later.

Curacao is coached by the experienced Dick Advocaat, whose resume includes similar positions with The Netherlands, Rangers in Scotland and Sunderland in England. Their team has several professionals who play in Europe.

The Category 5 Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica on October 28 and caused severe damage in the parishes of Clarendon, Manchester, St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, St James, St Ann and Trelawny. The Jamaican government reports that 45 people died as a result of the hurricane.

– Howard Campbell