Jamaica's strikers Marlon King (right) Ricardo Fuller (centre) and Damani Ralph preparing ahead of this evening's crucial clash.
-Ricardo Makyn photo
Nodley Wright, Freelance Writer
THE REGGAE Boyz have never had a bigger test than they will have this evening when they take on the Haitians in the quarter-final round of the CONCACAF group World Cup qualifying matches at 6:00 p.m.
Both teams go into today's game at the National Stadium level following last weeks 1-1 draw at the Orange Bowl in Miami.
That draw though translates into an advantage for the Reggae Boyz who are playing at home in 'The Office'. Having already scored an away goal the Jamaicans are in a better position as all they need is a 0-0 draw to advance. Any draw above that number though will not be in Jamaica's favour as the away goals rule will then benefit the Haitians.
Jamaica cannot sit and hope for a goalless draw as the Haitians will not be playing dead. Like Jamaica they have a lot riding on the game as they aim to repeat their qualifications of 30 years ago.
INVESTED A LOT
This small, impoverished nation has invested a lot of time and money into their preparations, spending months together in Miami. They just cannot afford to lose or at least they will not go out without a fight.
Jamaica, while not as impoverished as Haiti, are not a wealthy nation. In fact the football programme could do very well with an injection of capital right now and failure to advance today could put an end to any such possibility.
Haiti's coach Fernando Clavijo has demonstrated nothing but confidence since arriving in Jamaica. His talk has ranged from an outright declaration of war to a more subtle statement that his team will beat Jamaica in their backyard.
"The aim is to beat Jamaica in Jamaica and I believe we can do it. We are familiar with the Jamaicans and know that they will be making changes to capitalise on their home advantage," he explained on arrival.
"We are not too concerned - as we believe we have the players to surprise. We are going to score one more goal than the Jamaicans did," he added.
His players have also been backing him up in similarly confident talk. Defender Josue Mayard who was a non-playing substitute in the first leg and who starred in a 0-3 loss for Haiti the last time the two countries met in Jamaica, said they are using the example of the Detroit Pistons, who upstaged the highly fancied LA Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
"The Detroit Pistons showed what can happen when you believe and work together as a team," Mayard said.
What Mayard forgot to add was that the Detroit Pistons had the best defence in the NBA. The Haitian defence cannot be seen as one of the best. Despite the absence of the powerful Onandi Lowe Jamaica should have enough power to effectively take on the Haitian defence.
In Last week's game whenever the Jamaican forwards got any service from their midfielders they looked threatening. This was especially so when Damani Ralph entered the game as a late substitute.
Like Haiti, the Jamaican defence is not the best. Despite playing five men last week they looked particularly porous and were caught out by the movement, slick passing and particularly the pace of the Haitians. Young striker Peguero was a constant terror for the Jamaicans.
There are reports that Peguero is carrying a thigh strain but if he is ready for action then the Jamaican defence should expect more of the same. That situation could be even worse if Ian Goodison, who injured his shoulder on Friday, is not able to partner the good but sometimes rash Claude Davis in the centre of defence.
FOUND WANTING
While Jamaica were found wanting in defence it was in midfield that they were exposed. There Corilan Wadson and company had them looking like second rate.
To sort this out Brown is expected to re-deploy Fabian Davis and Ricardo Gardner to the right and left wingback positions.
With that done he would create space for the fit gain Theodore Whitmore to operate with Jamie Lawrence or Micah Hyde who returned from Britain at 5:00 p.m. yesterday evening, Richard Langley and or Andy Williams if he chooses to play four midfielders. If he opts for three forwards, Ralph would join Ricardo Fuller and goalscorer Marlon King on the front line with Langley or Williams starting on the bench.
Whitmore on his day can light up a football field with his passing, vision and artistry. Jamaica will be hoping that today is one of those days.
