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Ja's Boyz face Canadian hurdle<DIV class=KonaBody>
ian allen - Midfielder Jermaine Hue juggles the ball during the Reggae Boyz' training for tomorrow's international friendly against Canada at the National Stadium.
contributed - Canada's football coach Stephen Hart
LeVaughn Flynn, Staff Reporter
Jamaica will be seeking a well-needed win against quality opposition tomorrow when they face Canada in the return match of their two-game friendly series at the National Stadium at 5:00 p.m.
Barring the two wins against St. Lucia and Haiti in the Digicel Caribbean Cup last week, Jamaica are on a five-match winless streak. Those games include the 5-0 loss to Australia last October, the 1-1 draw with the U.S.A. in April, 4-1 and 6-0 whippings by Ghana and England respectively in May and June and the latest being the 1-0 defeat to Canada last month.
Jamaica's last victory outside of the Caribbean tournament was a 2-1 win against Guatemala on October 1, 2005 in Florida.
crucial win
While the wins in the Caribbean tournament were not surprising, despite their uninspired performances, the 2-1 defeat to St. Vincent and the Grenadines was a shock. That loss played a big part in Jamaica's first round elimination but more so underlined the current instability of the men's senior team.
A win tomorrow is crucial to revive the team and the public's perception of it.
"Like them (public) we too are very disappointed that we did not qualify for the next stage of the Digicel Cup, but we really want to put on a show this Sunday for the public," said national coach Carl Brown on Thursday.
Canada, on the other hand, are enjoying a four-game unbeaten streak. Apart from the 1-0 win against Jamaica, Canada have defeated Austria (2-0) and Luxembourg (1-0) and had a goaless draw with neighbours U.S.A.
Both teams have made additions to their squads for tomorrow's game. The visitors have added midfielders Martin Nash, Mike Klukowski, Atiba Hutchinson and striker Ali Gerba.
They will complement the core players which include strikers Tomasz Radzinski and Rob Friend, who scored the winner in the first match in Montreal. Atiba Hutchinson will control the midfield with the help of the experienced Paul Stalteri while goalkeeper Greg Sutton will be called on again to keep another clean sheet.
embrace the challenge
Canadian coach Stephen Hart said his team will embrace the challenge of playing away.
"Playing in Jamaica will obviously be very different from recent games we have played," Hart told canadasoccer.com.
"The climate must be considered and at home Jamaica, with their passionate supporters, have proven difficult for most opposition. However, it's a challenge I am sure the team looks forward to."
Most of the players that started for Jamaica in the Digicel Cup will most likely make way for the seven additional foreign-based players that joined the squad.
Strikers Kevin Lamey and Wilfred Smith, who both scored two goals each in the Caribbean tournament, should make way for the more experienced Ricardo Fuller and the young and exciting Luton Shelton. The pacey Teafore Bennett would also be the backup striker ahead of Lamey and Smith.
Hue go boy
The sometimes magical Jermaine Hue and the skilful Jamal Campbell-Ryce will have the responsibility of effectively utilising the midfield while Damion Stewart and Claude Davis will anchor the defence.
Despite a goalkeep