FORMER Reggae Boy Tyrone Marshall has noticed a challenge facing Jamaican clubs in continental football that goes beyond a lack of money and facilities. He said the way players are trained, prepared and taught to understand the game must also improve if local teams are to compete with clubs from Major League Soccer (MLS) and Liga MX.

Marshall, who has played more than 80 times for Jamaica, spent much of his playing career in MLS before moving into coaching in North America. His coaching experience includes roles as an assistant coach at Real Salt Lake and head coach of FC Cincinnati 2. He has also completed coaching certification at France’s Clairefontaine training centre.

His experience has given him an understanding of the differences between the professional environments in North America and Jamaica’s Legend Jamaica Premier League (JPL).

Marshall identifies the lack of an integrated sports science and recovery system as one of the biggest gaps affecting local players’ ability to maintain their performance over 90 minutes.

Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi (left) controls the ball as Cavalier’s Jalmaro Calvin looks on during the Concacaf Champions Cup second-leg round of 16 match at the National Stadium on March 13, 2025. (Photos: Garfield Robinson)

“In my experience in the professional game at the MLS level, it’s a different game compared to playing in the Jamaica Premier League,” Marshall told the Jamaica Observer.

“All the MLS and Liga MX teams have invested heavily in sports science — strengthening, conditioning, nutrition, physiotherapy, recovery technology, so on and so forth, to monitor the performance of their players so that they can maximise their efficiency when they get on the field.”

He said Jamaica has the talent and athletic ability, but players need consistent support with training, recovery and workload management. Without those systems, fatigue can affect more than their ability to run.

“When you have games and fatigue becomes a factor, the decision-making slows down, movement becomes less sharp, and the ability to maintain intensity begins to decline,” Marshall said.

MARSHALL…the creative technical abilities are there in the individual flair, which is God-given. However, when they step up and play international competition, the game does become much more demanding tactically.

His comments support concerns raised by Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL) Chief Executive Officer Owen Hill, who has identified gyms, recovery facilities and technical analysis as areas that need improvement across the 14 JPL clubs.

Hill, in a recent interview with the Observer, also mentioned what he sees as a shortage of specialised technical support.

“We don’t have super technical analysts that can scout a team, can tell you how the formation works, can give you all of that information to guide your own preparation,” Hill said in an Observer article on Sunday.

Marshall’s assessment shows why those resources matter on the field. Players need to recover properly and maintain their physical condition, particularly when they face demanding schedules and opponents who can sustain a high tempo.

However, Marshall said the problem is not only physical. He pointed to tactical awareness and decision-making under pressure as other areas where Jamaican players need to improve.

“Jamaican players have excellent athletic ability,” he said. “The creative technical abilities are there in the individual flair, which is God-given. However, when they step up and play international competition, the game does become much more demanding tactically. The opponents are better organised, the space gets closed down quicker, the players have much less time to make decisions.”

One area he identifies for particular attention is playing without the ball. Players must understand how to create space and passing options, when to press, how to maintain their defensive shape and how to anticipate what opponents will do next.

“It is not just about being talented when you have possession. You must understand how to influence the game when you don’t have the ball,” Marshall said.

Marshall also said players sometimes try to force passes or solve problems individually when better decisions could help their teams retain possession and control the game.

Hill identified a related issue in the way Jamaican football approaches matches.

“Tactically, we’re getting better, but in terms of our strategic approach to games, which, I think, goes deeper than the talent we have, it’s probably the resource gaps, ” he said.

Marshall’s comments provide a closer look at what that gap means for players and coaches, especially the need to improve how teams prepare for opponents and respond to different situations during matches.

Marshall said the standard of competition in the JPL must also improve to prepare players for the demands of international football.

“When you compete against teams regionally, in particular MLS and Liga MX, or other established professional leagues, the tempo is different,” he said. “The level is higher. Speed is faster. Players are stronger. When they press, they press with more coordination. The transitions happen much quicker.”

Marshall said players cannot be expected to maintain a high press and defensive shape against stronger opponents if those habits are not developed during regular training and league matches.

“You cannot expect a team to suddenly execute in a high press and maintain defensive shape if they don’t practise it — develop the habit where they can do this on a day-to-day basis — during training and during the league,” he said.

Squad depth and finances are also important, particularly when clubs have to manage injuries, travel and congested schedules. However, Marshall cautions against treating money as the only explanation for the gap.

He mentions coaching methods, tactical education, player recruitment and the overall training culture as equally important.

For clubs working with limited resources, Marshall recommends making youth development a priority. He wants clubs to establish a consistent playing philosophy from their academies through to their senior teams so young players understand the style of football expected of them as they progress.

He also calls for greater attention to coaching education and the use of performance analysts.

Marshall recalls his experience at Clairefontaine, where young players aged 14 and 15 studied match footage in the classroom as part of their development. They learned about different defensive systems, pressing, and how to analyse their own performances before putting those lessons into practice on the field.

He said Jamaican clubs must place greater emphasis on teaching players to understand the game from an early age.

“Ultimately I would not put all our resources into the physical conditioning alone because ultimately you don’t want to have a fit player and he can’t think for himself and don’t know how to pass the ball and all of that,” Marshall said.

“When you invest, you want to ensure you develop a fitter, smarter and more tactically adept player in a sustainable system.”

Marshall said clubs can improve their coaching standards and training environments without having the financial resources of MLS and Liga MX teams. But he warns against looking for quick solutions.

“We need to stop looking for quick fixes and start building environments that will produce better players year after year after year,” he said.

While there is agreement that a solution can be found, Hill did say that building a league capable of competing consistently at the highest regional level will take at least 10 to 15 years.

Cavalier were eliminated by Inter Miami by a 4-0 aggregate scoreline in 2025 after suffering 2-0 defeats in both legs while Mount Pleasant suffered a 6-0 aggregate defeat to LA Galaxy in this year after losing both legs 3-0 in the most recent clashes between JPL and MLS clubs in the Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16.