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By Vijay Setlur
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Jamaica manager Theodore Whitmore has been through much during his playing days.
Whether it was scoring two goals against Japan in Jamaica's only World Cup appearance in 2002, or being eliminated from World Cup qualifying, he has amassed a wide range of experience.
The soft-spoken former midfielder will hope to benefit from those lessons to help his players in their Gold Cup Group A match against Costa Rica Tuesday at Columbus Crew Stadium.
"It's going to be a tough game," Whitmore said. "Both teams lost their first game, so it's going to tough for both teams. But we have to go after it mentally, tactically and physically."
The winner will keep its Gold Cup hopes alive, while the loser likely will face a trip home.
For Costa Rica, the loss wouldn't be devastating. After all, Los Ticos still lead the World Cup qualifying hexagonal and are in position to claim one CONCACAF's three coveted berths in the World Cup in South Africa.
But for the Reggae Boyz, the disappointment would run deeper.
After just narrowly missing out on a place in the hexagonal, Jamaica has brought one of its strongest teams in years to earn some Gold Cup glory.
Instead, it's on the verge of being eliminated again.
Jamaica will need to capitalize on its size and speed, which were negated in its 1-0 loss to Canada on Friday.
Strikers Luton Shelton and Ricardo Fuller were non-existent and could not get behind Canada's defense as hoped. Their performance drew ire from Whitmore, who said insisted they had to play better.
"It wasn't good enough for me, the last game," Shelton said. "For this game I'll try to be positive as much as possible and try to get behind the defense as much as I can."
But Costa Rica, which lost 2-1 loss to a disciplined El Salvador, also is facing elimination.
Costa Rica manager Rodrigo Kenton assured that his side will improve from the El Salvador loss and be ready for Jamaica.
While Jamaica can match Costa Rica's speed, Costa Rica has demonstrated better skill, and has shown an offense with the ability to get production from anyone anywhere on the field.
Jamaica will have to be well organized and closely mark the likes of Celso Borges, Walter Centeno and Warren Granados, all of whom played well against El Salvador.
Speedy striker Andy Herron, who came on in the second half to inject some offense, was effective almost instantly and could start on the flank on Tuesday.
The fact that Granados, a last-minute addition to the roster, scored Costa Rica's lone goal indicates its depth.
Faced with so many predatory players, Jamaica may have to take rely on counters for offense. They created some quality chances against Canada that way, only to be denied by goalkeeper Greg Sutton.
Costa Rica fell prey to a counterattack that led to El Salvador's winning goal.
A passive approach may not be ideal, but may be Jamaica's best hope to stay alive in the tournament.
http://www.goldcup.org/page/GoldCup/...715175,00.html
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Jamaica manager Theodore Whitmore has been through much during his playing days.
Whether it was scoring two goals against Japan in Jamaica's only World Cup appearance in 2002, or being eliminated from World Cup qualifying, he has amassed a wide range of experience.
The soft-spoken former midfielder will hope to benefit from those lessons to help his players in their Gold Cup Group A match against Costa Rica Tuesday at Columbus Crew Stadium.
"It's going to be a tough game," Whitmore said. "Both teams lost their first game, so it's going to tough for both teams. But we have to go after it mentally, tactically and physically."
The winner will keep its Gold Cup hopes alive, while the loser likely will face a trip home.
For Costa Rica, the loss wouldn't be devastating. After all, Los Ticos still lead the World Cup qualifying hexagonal and are in position to claim one CONCACAF's three coveted berths in the World Cup in South Africa.
But for the Reggae Boyz, the disappointment would run deeper.
After just narrowly missing out on a place in the hexagonal, Jamaica has brought one of its strongest teams in years to earn some Gold Cup glory.
Instead, it's on the verge of being eliminated again.
Jamaica will need to capitalize on its size and speed, which were negated in its 1-0 loss to Canada on Friday.
Strikers Luton Shelton and Ricardo Fuller were non-existent and could not get behind Canada's defense as hoped. Their performance drew ire from Whitmore, who said insisted they had to play better.
"It wasn't good enough for me, the last game," Shelton said. "For this game I'll try to be positive as much as possible and try to get behind the defense as much as I can."
But Costa Rica, which lost 2-1 loss to a disciplined El Salvador, also is facing elimination.
Costa Rica manager Rodrigo Kenton assured that his side will improve from the El Salvador loss and be ready for Jamaica.
While Jamaica can match Costa Rica's speed, Costa Rica has demonstrated better skill, and has shown an offense with the ability to get production from anyone anywhere on the field.
Jamaica will have to be well organized and closely mark the likes of Celso Borges, Walter Centeno and Warren Granados, all of whom played well against El Salvador.
Speedy striker Andy Herron, who came on in the second half to inject some offense, was effective almost instantly and could start on the flank on Tuesday.
The fact that Granados, a last-minute addition to the roster, scored Costa Rica's lone goal indicates its depth.
Faced with so many predatory players, Jamaica may have to take rely on counters for offense. They created some quality chances against Canada that way, only to be denied by goalkeeper Greg Sutton.
Costa Rica fell prey to a counterattack that led to El Salvador's winning goal.
A passive approach may not be ideal, but may be Jamaica's best hope to stay alive in the tournament.
http://www.goldcup.org/page/GoldCup/...715175,00.html