TO many, Jamaica’s friendly international against Canada on Sunday is just another game at ‘The Office’. But don’t tell that to head coach Theodore ‘Tappa’ Whitmore or JFF general secretary Horace Reid.

They have joined JFF president Captain Horace Burrell in declaring that the practice game will significantly mark the launch of the long drive to Brazil 2014.

“We have played Canada a number of times, but come Sunday, this will mark the start of our new campaign, so we would want to go there and give a good account of ourselves,” said Whitmore at yesterday’s press conference where the JFF announced a swath of new initiatives.

Whitmore — Jamaica’s hero in France 1998 where he scored a double in a 2-1 win against Japan — said the match-up with the 56th-ranked Canadians would also provide his technical staff with an opportunity to assess a number of players in match conditions.

“Right now, we have about a pool of 70 players who we want to look at and each of these players must know that the chance is theirs to take when given,” said the St James native.

Whitmore, a smooth and slick midfielder in his heyday, hailed the initiative to introduce outstanding schoolboys to the senior level, saying, “I am very pleased with what I have seen so far”.

“It’s just unfortunate that we don’t have three or four more in the squad, but I think we’re on the right track,” he said.

Only goalkeeper Andre Blake, who tends goal for Digicel Premier League contenders Sporting Central Academy, has secured a place in Whitmore 23-man squad from a pool of schoolboy players originally called up as part of a rotation exercise.

Meanwhile Reid, who is also experienced as a coach, said this game and next month’s match-up against Argentina provide critical opportunities to review many aspects of the local programme.

“The game on Sunday is very important for the JFF in a number of ways. Technically, we need to get off to a good start and it is also an opportunity for our players, especially the new ones, and the younger ones to show what they have,” he said.

“We have seen a lot of the established players and we know what they can do, so it’s an opportunity for the coach to deepen his pool and widen his selection…,” Reid stated.

The last time the Reggae Boyz met Canada was at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in the USA last summer when they came out 0-1 losers.

Jamaica, ranked an undesirable 81 by FIFA, will tackle eighth-ranked Argentina in that country on February 10 and Whitmore said this fixture against one of the game’s super powers will be a big test, especially for the local-based players.

“It’s a big game, and this will give the local-based players a chance to show what they have got, and it will also allow us to see where we are and where we need to go in the near future,” he noted.

Both matches so far this year are in keeping with a pronouncement by Captain Burrell to get at least one game per month for the Boyz as part of early Brazil 2014 preparations.

Squad — DuWayne Kerr, Dwayne Miller, Andre Blake, Jermaine Taylor, Dicoy Williams, Adrian Reid, Tyrone Marshall, Lovel Palmer, Eric Vernon, Demar Phillips, Rodolph Austin, Luton Shelton, Jason Morrison, Kenardo Forbes, Shavar Thomas, Jevaughn Watson, Omar Cummings, Ryan Johnson, Devon Hodges, Keammar Daley, Navion Boyd, Rafe Wolfe, Richard Edward.