Reggae Boyz brace for Ecuador challenge

[Mosiah]

Reggae Boyz brace for Ecuador challenge

GORDON WILLIAMS, Star Writer

Theodore Whitmore
New Jersey, United States
Two teams in different stages of transition will clash tonight when Jamaica enter the land of the football giants to face South American power Ecuador in a friendly international here.

Kick-off at Giants Stadium is at 9 p.m. (8 p.m. Jamaica time). While Ecuador are ranked 36th in the world and currently sit fifth in the CONMEBOL region with a real chance to advance to World Cup 2010, the Reggae Boyz have long exited that elite competition. Jamaica, ranked 69th by football's world governing body FIFA, also failed to shine in their own regional competition, having been eliminated in the group stages of the CONCACAF Gold Cup last month.




http://jamaica-star.com/thestar/2009...s/sports2.html

[T.K.]

You know I am really conflicted about the timing of this game. Why would the JFF accept a friendly against a much stronger team right before the start of the european season? We don't have access to, what is in theory, our strongest part of the player pool in the english based professionals. Heading in I can't tell what the JFF is looking to get out of it outside of saying that we scheduled a game. Am I off base here Mo? - T.K.

[Mosiah]

I...I am...I dunno! Are we in a position to pick and choose? Was this game planned long before the Gold Cup we were supposed to win?

[T.K.]

I...I am...I dunno! Are we in a position to pick and choose? Was this game planned long before the Gold Cup we were supposed to win?

Ok you are definitely asking questions I don't have the answer to. LOL.

Well I hope they know what they are doing. I would hate to see a situation where Ecuador brings their A team and we are at half strength. - T.K.

[Mosiah]

Jamaica’s Starting XI for Friendly international against Ecuador at the Giants Stadium in New Jersey.

Goalkeeper- Dwayne Miller;

Defenders – Shavar Thomas (Capt), Dicoy Williams, Jermaine Taylor;

Midfielders – Jason Morrison, Khari Stephenson, Eric Vernan, Demar Phillips;

Attackers – Luton Shelton, Dane Richards and Devon Hodges.

Substitutes: Shawn Sawyers, Rafe Wolfe, Richard Edwards, Lovel Palmer, Omar Cummings, Navian Boyd and Keammar Daley.

[Peter R]

ANy links for the match?

[T.K.]

Well my fears were completely unjustified. Nice result against a team that has qualified for the last 3 World Cups. Now Mo give me a match report please and tell me who played well. Thanks. - T.K.

[Jangle]

There were no standouts. The team played competently well and the game could have gone either way. Shelton is still not good enough and his control/first touch is poor. Any day he get's that right, he would be a deadly striker with his pace, but I guess he's too old to learn anything new. Dane Richards.........hhhhhmmmmmmm.........still not fully convinced. I prefer seeing Jamal Campbell-Ryce or even JJ on that wing. The goalie made a few decent saves. Need to see more of him to come to a conclusion but he looks competent.

Tappa needs to work with the team on set plays. We lack ideas BIG TIME. Demar Phillips takes a better corner than Bibi. He took all of our corners when we needed a change with a right footer.