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Whitmore will rest key players
Published: Sunday | June 12, 2011
Boyz head coach Whitmore
Navion Boyd ... could feature in tomorrow's final preliminary round match.- file
Audley Boyd, Assistant Editor - Sports
RANDALL, ISLAND New York:
CUSHIONED with the luxury of early quarter-final qualification, Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore is preparing to take a look at the untested portion of his armoury, when they battle Honduras for zonal honours in the CONCACAF Gold Cup football tournament, at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, tomorrow at 9 p.m. (8 p.m. Jamaica time).
Jamaica have now beaten Guatemala on all four occasions that the countries have met at the Gold Cup, having beaten them 4-3 when the teams last met at the tournament, in 2005.
changes a must
A number of the Reggae Boyz have not yet had any action in any of Jamaica's two first-round matches that they won to seal their place in the next round and the top position in the group, on six points. They are followed by the Hondurans, who have four from a draw 0-0 draw with Guatemala and Friday night's 7-1 thrashing of Grenada, who scored first.
"Definitely, you'll see some changes, but it's not a let-off," Whitmore said, following their 2-0 defeat of Guatemala, at the Florida International University (FIU) in Miami on Friday night. Whitmore said a couple of key players picked up hard knocks in the game and are hurting, including central midfielder Jason Morrison.
"We're going to rest Donovan Ricketts and you've got Navion Boyd as well who'll be coming into the team," Whitmore divulged. "We've Jason Morrison suffering from some injuries, as well as Demar (Phillips), so we've to give some other players a chance."
Additionally, some key players, including captain and sweeper Shavar Thomas, his central defensive partner, Jermaine Taylor and Morrison, picked up yellow cards, which has become a factor because another booking in the final preliminary encounter tomorrow could result in either player missing the more important quarter-final match, which signals the beginning of the knock-out stage.
On the basis of preliminary assessments by the medical staff, the Reggae Boyz also appear likely to miss the services of central defender Dicoy Williams, who kicked an opponent flush in the midriff - while attempting to clear the ball inside the 18-yard box - and hurt his leg, which forced a fifth minute substitution.
keeping them grounded
Generally, the Reggae Boyz have done well and given the way they are playing right now, the team here - which has scored six unanswered goals in two matches, after walloping Grenada in their opening match - is being compared by members of the foreign press to the 1998 unit which qualified for France.
When asked about methods at keeping them grounded, Whitmore, who was a key member of that set-up even found time for a light-hearted moment, joking that "sometimes it's good to think highly."
"We've senior players in the camp, we keep a lot of meetings and we try to hear what everyone has to say. They themselves have to make decisions, they themselves have to know what they want so that helps to keep them focused," Whitmore noted.
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2.../sports41.html
Published: Sunday | June 12, 2011
Boyz head coach Whitmore
Navion Boyd ... could feature in tomorrow's final preliminary round match.- file
Audley Boyd, Assistant Editor - Sports
RANDALL, ISLAND New York:
CUSHIONED with the luxury of early quarter-final qualification, Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore is preparing to take a look at the untested portion of his armoury, when they battle Honduras for zonal honours in the CONCACAF Gold Cup football tournament, at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, tomorrow at 9 p.m. (8 p.m. Jamaica time).
Jamaica have now beaten Guatemala on all four occasions that the countries have met at the Gold Cup, having beaten them 4-3 when the teams last met at the tournament, in 2005.
changes a must
A number of the Reggae Boyz have not yet had any action in any of Jamaica's two first-round matches that they won to seal their place in the next round and the top position in the group, on six points. They are followed by the Hondurans, who have four from a draw 0-0 draw with Guatemala and Friday night's 7-1 thrashing of Grenada, who scored first.
"Definitely, you'll see some changes, but it's not a let-off," Whitmore said, following their 2-0 defeat of Guatemala, at the Florida International University (FIU) in Miami on Friday night. Whitmore said a couple of key players picked up hard knocks in the game and are hurting, including central midfielder Jason Morrison.
"We're going to rest Donovan Ricketts and you've got Navion Boyd as well who'll be coming into the team," Whitmore divulged. "We've Jason Morrison suffering from some injuries, as well as Demar (Phillips), so we've to give some other players a chance."
Additionally, some key players, including captain and sweeper Shavar Thomas, his central defensive partner, Jermaine Taylor and Morrison, picked up yellow cards, which has become a factor because another booking in the final preliminary encounter tomorrow could result in either player missing the more important quarter-final match, which signals the beginning of the knock-out stage.
On the basis of preliminary assessments by the medical staff, the Reggae Boyz also appear likely to miss the services of central defender Dicoy Williams, who kicked an opponent flush in the midriff - while attempting to clear the ball inside the 18-yard box - and hurt his leg, which forced a fifth minute substitution.
keeping them grounded
Generally, the Reggae Boyz have done well and given the way they are playing right now, the team here - which has scored six unanswered goals in two matches, after walloping Grenada in their opening match - is being compared by members of the foreign press to the 1998 unit which qualified for France.
When asked about methods at keeping them grounded, Whitmore, who was a key member of that set-up even found time for a light-hearted moment, joking that "sometimes it's good to think highly."
"We've senior players in the camp, we keep a lot of meetings and we try to hear what everyone has to say. They themselves have to make decisions, they themselves have to know what they want so that helps to keep them focused," Whitmore noted.
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2.../sports41.html