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Duckie, self-believing U-20s on threshold of greatness
Published: Wednesday | March 4, 2009
Gordon Williams, Gleaner Writer
Captain of the Junior Reggae Boyz, Andre Darby (centre), celebrates on arrival at the Norman Manley International Airport. The Junior Boyz were returning from the CFU FIFA U-20 World Cup qualifiers where they advanced to the CONCACAF Finals round. - Jermaine Lannaman photo
LAUDERHILL, Florida, USA:
Two minutes before kick-off in their last game before final-round World Cup qualifiers, Donovan Duckie interrupted Jamaica Under-20s' warm-up and pulled his players to the sideline. The coach wanted to make sure they remembered the tactical instructions for Canada. Or maybe it was a check of nerves to see if his football team was really ready.
Group huddle
He found out soon enough. As the group huddled up, captain Andre Darby suddenly sounded off. "Coach, we're gonna take this!" Duckie recalled the big defender yelling. The team burst into laughter, then echoed Darby's rallying cry. The outburst of confidence surprised the coach.
"I was shocked," said Duckie.
He shouldn't have been. Duckie claimed he has long believed this team was poised for something special. Not just against Canada, which it beat 1-0 here on Friday, but others standing in Jamaica's way to a berth in this year's FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
Duckie first noticed it during a qualifying tournament in the Cayman Islands. But he wasn't totally sure. "I didn't think the competition was great," he said about wins over Puerto Rico, Bermuda and the host nation last year.
Recent victories over CONCACAF giants El Salvador and Mexico - the first ever at Under-20 against El Tri - convinced Duckie more. Any lingering doubts the young Reggae Boyz were up to the fight ahead vanished with Darby's battle cry. "They were so relaxed," said Duckie. "They wanted to do well."
When the Boyz leave for Trinidad and Tobago today, that desire will be severely tested, first against the US on Friday, then El Salvador and Honduras days later. The top two teams from CONCACAF's Group A will march on to September's World Cup in Egypt.
On the Boyz's shoulders in T&T - fair or not - will be the weight ofthe nation's football. The country has not reached the world stage since 2001. Jamaica's senior team bowed out of World Cup 2010 qualification. So resources were redirected to the Under-20s. Teenagers have become the face of the game.
Under-20 coach Donovan Duckie
"Of course, (Jamaica's players) understand the pressure," Duckie said Sunday after the US drew 0-0 with Canada here.
"We've discussed the expectations. But the support they are getting now is more. It's a lot of motivation for them. More motivation than pressure."
This group of Under-20s has shown the shrinking quality margins in
CONCACAF. Under Duckie's guidance, Jamaica have lost once - 1-0 to Costa Rica
- in 14 games. The Boyz have cut down big names like Mexico, Canada and El Salvador.
"The gap is narrowing," said Duckie.
For this campaign, the Boyz received an early push. Brazilian Alfredo Montesso, a member of René Simoes' staff that failed with the seniors, played a key role in the Under-20s' run to T&T. Montesso once supervised Duckie, assistant Lenworth Hyde and the rest of the coaching staff. He eventually left when Simoes was fired. But not before making a mark.
"He did a wonderful job of laying the foundation for this team," Duckie said. His departure thrust Duckie front and centre. There was no longer a Brazilian to shield him. "I felt, 'This is it. I'm on my own'," he said.
Yet, the cupboard was not bare. Jamaica's team features players like Evan Taylor and Davion Thorpe, midfielders Simoes drafted into the senior set-up. Others have shown equal or more promise. Duckie's job for over nine months has been to make sure they gel as a unit. But whispers surfaced that the team might not be ready in T&T. "There was a lot of talk that could be brushed aside," the coach said.
LABELS
Football sources contacted for this story, some with experience at the national level, paint different pictures of the 34-year-old Duckie. While most believe he knows the game, some brand him as arrogant. Others say he's insecure about his job. After Jamaica's first half against Canada, when the Boyz struggled, a couple wondered what Jamaica's preparation had been all about.
But the coach is determined to prove them wrong. Jamaica turned it around after the break, albeit against a Canada team disjointed by mass substitutions. Regardless, the adjustments were made in Duckie's locker room.
Duckie leans hard on experiences, including seven years in the army, where the bottom line is preparation and performance. He said he can handle the doubters as well.
"No, I'm not in agreement with that," said Duckie, dismissing the negative labels. "If I worry about my job? No. The success or failure of a coach has to do with results. My philosophy, the philosophy of winning, losing or drawing, must be acceptable once it is fair competition. That is the life of a coach. I am not afraid or insecure about anything. The reality is the buck stops with me."
Duckie believes he has earned that responsibility after coaching two clubs to promotion in Jamaica's top league. His teams also won several Eastern Confederation Super League titles and he assisted the late David Hunt when Jamaica's Under-17s beat Mexico.
Not bitter
But there are blemishes as well. Duckie recently left his job as technical director for Digicel Premier League club Portmore United when it encroached on family commitments, particularly time spent with 10-year-old son Andre. Before that, he was fired from St Georges because his focus with the national team cut into time at the Premier League club. He holds no grudges.
"No, I'm not bitter," he said. "I'm happy to see they've progressed."
So, too, has Duckie. He listens to football advice from many sources - including his son. But the coach knows what to keep and what to throw away. That has landed him and Jamaica's Under-20 team under a spotlight of national expectations. The players have learned to welcome it.
"They are eager to be a part of greatness," Duckie said. "And that is their strength."
Gordon Williams is a Jamaican journalist based in the United States.
Published: Wednesday | March 4, 2009
Gordon Williams, Gleaner Writer
Captain of the Junior Reggae Boyz, Andre Darby (centre), celebrates on arrival at the Norman Manley International Airport. The Junior Boyz were returning from the CFU FIFA U-20 World Cup qualifiers where they advanced to the CONCACAF Finals round. - Jermaine Lannaman photo
LAUDERHILL, Florida, USA:
Two minutes before kick-off in their last game before final-round World Cup qualifiers, Donovan Duckie interrupted Jamaica Under-20s' warm-up and pulled his players to the sideline. The coach wanted to make sure they remembered the tactical instructions for Canada. Or maybe it was a check of nerves to see if his football team was really ready.
Group huddle
He found out soon enough. As the group huddled up, captain Andre Darby suddenly sounded off. "Coach, we're gonna take this!" Duckie recalled the big defender yelling. The team burst into laughter, then echoed Darby's rallying cry. The outburst of confidence surprised the coach.
"I was shocked," said Duckie.
He shouldn't have been. Duckie claimed he has long believed this team was poised for something special. Not just against Canada, which it beat 1-0 here on Friday, but others standing in Jamaica's way to a berth in this year's FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
Duckie first noticed it during a qualifying tournament in the Cayman Islands. But he wasn't totally sure. "I didn't think the competition was great," he said about wins over Puerto Rico, Bermuda and the host nation last year.
Recent victories over CONCACAF giants El Salvador and Mexico - the first ever at Under-20 against El Tri - convinced Duckie more. Any lingering doubts the young Reggae Boyz were up to the fight ahead vanished with Darby's battle cry. "They were so relaxed," said Duckie. "They wanted to do well."
When the Boyz leave for Trinidad and Tobago today, that desire will be severely tested, first against the US on Friday, then El Salvador and Honduras days later. The top two teams from CONCACAF's Group A will march on to September's World Cup in Egypt.
On the Boyz's shoulders in T&T - fair or not - will be the weight ofthe nation's football. The country has not reached the world stage since 2001. Jamaica's senior team bowed out of World Cup 2010 qualification. So resources were redirected to the Under-20s. Teenagers have become the face of the game.
Under-20 coach Donovan Duckie
"Of course, (Jamaica's players) understand the pressure," Duckie said Sunday after the US drew 0-0 with Canada here.
"We've discussed the expectations. But the support they are getting now is more. It's a lot of motivation for them. More motivation than pressure."
This group of Under-20s has shown the shrinking quality margins in
CONCACAF. Under Duckie's guidance, Jamaica have lost once - 1-0 to Costa Rica
- in 14 games. The Boyz have cut down big names like Mexico, Canada and El Salvador.
"The gap is narrowing," said Duckie.
For this campaign, the Boyz received an early push. Brazilian Alfredo Montesso, a member of René Simoes' staff that failed with the seniors, played a key role in the Under-20s' run to T&T. Montesso once supervised Duckie, assistant Lenworth Hyde and the rest of the coaching staff. He eventually left when Simoes was fired. But not before making a mark.
"He did a wonderful job of laying the foundation for this team," Duckie said. His departure thrust Duckie front and centre. There was no longer a Brazilian to shield him. "I felt, 'This is it. I'm on my own'," he said.
Yet, the cupboard was not bare. Jamaica's team features players like Evan Taylor and Davion Thorpe, midfielders Simoes drafted into the senior set-up. Others have shown equal or more promise. Duckie's job for over nine months has been to make sure they gel as a unit. But whispers surfaced that the team might not be ready in T&T. "There was a lot of talk that could be brushed aside," the coach said.
LABELS
Football sources contacted for this story, some with experience at the national level, paint different pictures of the 34-year-old Duckie. While most believe he knows the game, some brand him as arrogant. Others say he's insecure about his job. After Jamaica's first half against Canada, when the Boyz struggled, a couple wondered what Jamaica's preparation had been all about.
But the coach is determined to prove them wrong. Jamaica turned it around after the break, albeit against a Canada team disjointed by mass substitutions. Regardless, the adjustments were made in Duckie's locker room.
Duckie leans hard on experiences, including seven years in the army, where the bottom line is preparation and performance. He said he can handle the doubters as well.
"No, I'm not in agreement with that," said Duckie, dismissing the negative labels. "If I worry about my job? No. The success or failure of a coach has to do with results. My philosophy, the philosophy of winning, losing or drawing, must be acceptable once it is fair competition. That is the life of a coach. I am not afraid or insecure about anything. The reality is the buck stops with me."
Duckie believes he has earned that responsibility after coaching two clubs to promotion in Jamaica's top league. His teams also won several Eastern Confederation Super League titles and he assisted the late David Hunt when Jamaica's Under-17s beat Mexico.
Not bitter
But there are blemishes as well. Duckie recently left his job as technical director for Digicel Premier League club Portmore United when it encroached on family commitments, particularly time spent with 10-year-old son Andre. Before that, he was fired from St Georges because his focus with the national team cut into time at the Premier League club. He holds no grudges.
"No, I'm not bitter," he said. "I'm happy to see they've progressed."
So, too, has Duckie. He listens to football advice from many sources - including his son. But the coach knows what to keep and what to throw away. That has landed him and Jamaica's Under-20 team under a spotlight of national expectations. The players have learned to welcome it.
"They are eager to be a part of greatness," Duckie said. "And that is their strength."
Gordon Williams is a Jamaican journalist based in the United States.
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