Tweet
Jamaica's senior footballers will try to break a 40-year drought when they hunt their first victory over Panama in a friendly international at the National Stadium at 6:00 pm today.
In attempting victory, the Reggae Boyz will continue their preparation for next month's CONCACAF Gold Cup slated for 13 cities in the US between July 3-26.
Defender Damion Stewart controls the ball during a team warm-up scrimmage exercise while (from left) Claude Davis, Jermaine Johnson, Khari Stephenson, Keammar Daley, Nicholas Addlery and Desmond Breakenridge join in at the National Stadium last night. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)
Jamaica have won just one of the 10 meetings between the countries, with six being drawn. The Boyz's lone victory, 2-1, was achieved in a CONCACAF Championship Qualifier here on November 5, 1969.
Fresh off what was reported to have been a smart performance in a goalless draw against El Salvador at the RFK Stadium in Washington, DC last week, the Jamaicans, boosted by the arrival of four Scandinavian-based players - Rodolph Austin, Luton Shelton, Khari Stephenson and Demar Phillips - are looking to book tickets in head coach John Barnes' squad for next month's regional tournament.
As such, Barnes and his players will be taking the game seriously, and if the intensity displayed during the latter stages of the week-long training sessions at Winchester Park, St George's College and at the National Stadium are anything to go by, then the Central America's Digicel Champions had better come prepared.
"I take every game seriously," Barnes noted prior to yesterday's training session.
"They are friendlies in name, but in terms of our application and our approach to them, this is the last official game at home before the Gold Cup, so we're taking it very seriously," he reiterated.
His opposite number Gary Stempel, who arrived with a 17-man mixture of youth and experience mid-afternoon yesterday, expressed similar views and is confident of a good showing by his players.
"We're here at this time and we're feeling confident," he said. "Obviously we have a number of players we will be looking at during the match, but all in all we're confident of their abilities," he added prior to an evening session at the Stadium.
"Obviously we would like to win... the players are fighting for places in the team so it's going to be competitive and that is what we want."
Ranked 61st by FIFA, Panama will contest Group C of the Gold Cup alongside Mexico, Guadeloupe and Nicaragua. They lost 1-3 to Argentina in Santa Fe two-and-a-half weeks ago and are confident of showing further improvement, especially with their record here, where they have won twice.
Jamaica are ranked 15 places lower than their opponents and will contest Group A of the Gold Cup against El Salvador, Costa Rica and Canada.
In their two most recent encounters, they drew 2-2 with Haiti in Florida and 0-0 with El Salvador, but Barnes is pleased with the way the team has prepared for this game.
"Preparations have been going well," he said. "The application of the players have been excellent; we've done a lot of technical work, which is against their nature - that is being organised and disciplined - so that has pleased me in terms of the players trying to do what I asked them to do," he added.
Barnes, the Jamaican-born former England international and Liverpool legend, will employ the 4-4-2 formation today, and although he has not yet finalised the team, urged the players to display more quality in front of goal.
"We need a lot of composure in front of goal; we were not clinical enough in front of goal (against El Salvador), but with composure that will come, and in terms of our build-up play I am happy," Barnes offered.
"As much as we want composed football, we want efficient football. We are going with 4-4-2, but what I endorse is not giving the ball away, keep the ball," he stressed.
At last night's session, Duwayne Kerr was in goal on what appeared the 'A' team, guarded by Damion Stewart and Desmond Breakenridge in central defence, with Oraine Simpson and Demar Phillips on the flanks.
Central midfield was occupied by Jason Morrison (who celebrates his 25th birthday today), and the impressive Rodolph Austin, with Jamal Campbell-Ryce being the attacking midfield and Luton Shelton and Devon Hodges in attack in the 10-man a side game.
It is expected that Jermaine 'Teddy' Johnson will get the other attacking midfield spot. He trained on the other team yesterday.
The squad is completed by Dwayne Miller, Adrian Reid, Ian Goodison, Rafe Wolfe, Richard Edwards, Khari Stephenson, Navion Boyd, Keammar Daley, Nicholas Addlery.
Shawn Sawyers, Roland Dean and Wolry Wolfe were dropped from the training squad earlier and didn't train yesterday, while Claude Davis has been training but is not expected to be up for selection for today.
In attempting victory, the Reggae Boyz will continue their preparation for next month's CONCACAF Gold Cup slated for 13 cities in the US between July 3-26.
Defender Damion Stewart controls the ball during a team warm-up scrimmage exercise while (from left) Claude Davis, Jermaine Johnson, Khari Stephenson, Keammar Daley, Nicholas Addlery and Desmond Breakenridge join in at the National Stadium last night. (Photo: Garfield Robinson) Jamaica have won just one of the 10 meetings between the countries, with six being drawn. The Boyz's lone victory, 2-1, was achieved in a CONCACAF Championship Qualifier here on November 5, 1969.
Fresh off what was reported to have been a smart performance in a goalless draw against El Salvador at the RFK Stadium in Washington, DC last week, the Jamaicans, boosted by the arrival of four Scandinavian-based players - Rodolph Austin, Luton Shelton, Khari Stephenson and Demar Phillips - are looking to book tickets in head coach John Barnes' squad for next month's regional tournament.
As such, Barnes and his players will be taking the game seriously, and if the intensity displayed during the latter stages of the week-long training sessions at Winchester Park, St George's College and at the National Stadium are anything to go by, then the Central America's Digicel Champions had better come prepared.
"I take every game seriously," Barnes noted prior to yesterday's training session.
"They are friendlies in name, but in terms of our application and our approach to them, this is the last official game at home before the Gold Cup, so we're taking it very seriously," he reiterated.
His opposite number Gary Stempel, who arrived with a 17-man mixture of youth and experience mid-afternoon yesterday, expressed similar views and is confident of a good showing by his players.
"We're here at this time and we're feeling confident," he said. "Obviously we have a number of players we will be looking at during the match, but all in all we're confident of their abilities," he added prior to an evening session at the Stadium.
"Obviously we would like to win... the players are fighting for places in the team so it's going to be competitive and that is what we want."
Ranked 61st by FIFA, Panama will contest Group C of the Gold Cup alongside Mexico, Guadeloupe and Nicaragua. They lost 1-3 to Argentina in Santa Fe two-and-a-half weeks ago and are confident of showing further improvement, especially with their record here, where they have won twice.
Jamaica are ranked 15 places lower than their opponents and will contest Group A of the Gold Cup against El Salvador, Costa Rica and Canada.
In their two most recent encounters, they drew 2-2 with Haiti in Florida and 0-0 with El Salvador, but Barnes is pleased with the way the team has prepared for this game.
"Preparations have been going well," he said. "The application of the players have been excellent; we've done a lot of technical work, which is against their nature - that is being organised and disciplined - so that has pleased me in terms of the players trying to do what I asked them to do," he added.
Barnes, the Jamaican-born former England international and Liverpool legend, will employ the 4-4-2 formation today, and although he has not yet finalised the team, urged the players to display more quality in front of goal.
"We need a lot of composure in front of goal; we were not clinical enough in front of goal (against El Salvador), but with composure that will come, and in terms of our build-up play I am happy," Barnes offered.
"As much as we want composed football, we want efficient football. We are going with 4-4-2, but what I endorse is not giving the ball away, keep the ball," he stressed.
At last night's session, Duwayne Kerr was in goal on what appeared the 'A' team, guarded by Damion Stewart and Desmond Breakenridge in central defence, with Oraine Simpson and Demar Phillips on the flanks.
Central midfield was occupied by Jason Morrison (who celebrates his 25th birthday today), and the impressive Rodolph Austin, with Jamal Campbell-Ryce being the attacking midfield and Luton Shelton and Devon Hodges in attack in the 10-man a side game.
It is expected that Jermaine 'Teddy' Johnson will get the other attacking midfield spot. He trained on the other team yesterday.
The squad is completed by Dwayne Miller, Adrian Reid, Ian Goodison, Rafe Wolfe, Richard Edwards, Khari Stephenson, Navion Boyd, Keammar Daley, Nicholas Addlery.
Shawn Sawyers, Roland Dean and Wolry Wolfe were dropped from the training squad earlier and didn't train yesterday, while Claude Davis has been training but is not expected to be up for selection for today.
Comment