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Badly outgunned Jamaica have partially blamed a difficult travel schedule for the Reggae Boyz 1-0 loss to the United States in a World Cup qualifying football match here last night.
According to head coach Theodore Whitmore, Jamaica were unable to cope with the torrid pressure inflicted by the Americans, especially in the first half, which eventually led to a 55th-minute goal from a free kick by US striker Herculez Gomez.
Whitmore said the Boyz failed to recover sufficiently from an awkward trip, which resulted in their late arrival here on Sunday night, limiting them to a single training session on Monday evening.
He said the US travelled by charter flight right after losing 2-1 to Jamaica in Kingston on Friday, giving their players plenty time to recuperate and prepare for the return leg of the CONCACAF semi-final round Group A encounter.
"The US had fresher legs," the coach said. " ... We didn't have the resources. It was limited."
sluggishness
However, Whitmore admitted that the US fully capitalised on Jamaica's sluggishness and dominated most of the match by not allowing the Boyz to find any early footing, unlike last Friday when Jamaica took the fight to the Americans almost from the outset, even after conceding a goal in 36 seconds.
"Yes, it was a different game," the coach said. "They came out early and they were pressing us ... We didn't get any time to play."
Whitmore also admitted that the scoreline could have been worse and credited goalkeeper Dwayne Miller, along with a brief surge by Jamaica in the second half, for making sure the defeat was not heavier.
"We were very fortunate not to concede in the first half," the coach said. "It's only the second half we came out and started playing."
The defeat dropped Jamaica into a three-way tie for the group lead on seven points with the US and Guatemala, which defeated Antigua and Barbuda 1-0 yesterday.
The win was also huge boost for the US, who struggled in Jamaica before putting on an impressive show here last night in front of an emotional crowd, which packed the Columbus Crew Stadium on the day the US marked the anniversary of "9/11", the September 11, 2001 date terrorists attacked the country killing nearly 3,000.
According to US head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, the plan was for the Americans to attack Jamaica down the flanks, put the Boyz under pressure early and not let up.
urgency
"I wanted to give them (the US team) the feeling of keep pushing," said Klinsmann. "They had that sense of urgency ... I think that sense of urgency really helped us."
The pressure paid off. The US hounded Jamaica from the opening whistle and took advantage of the pristine field to establish a passing game they sorely lacked in Jamaica, a factor Klinsmann blamed for the defeat.
"It was impossible to pass the ball around in Jamaica," he said of "The Office" turf.
The combination of defensive pressure and crisp combinations, gene-rated from a starting line-up that featured five new faces from the Kingston clash, resulted in territorial domin-ation and numerous scoring chances created by the US, especially in the first half. The Americans hit the goal frame twice and were denied by the brilliant Miller on at least two other occasions.
Oddly, the Boyz only started to establish themselves after falling behind to Gomez's strike, after rarely threatening the US goal. An 80th-minute strike from Rodolph Austin forced the only big save from American goalkeeper Tim Howard.
"We didn't start playing until we conceded," said Whitmore, who claimed he was "satisfied, but disappointed" with Jamaica's performance.
According to head coach Theodore Whitmore, Jamaica were unable to cope with the torrid pressure inflicted by the Americans, especially in the first half, which eventually led to a 55th-minute goal from a free kick by US striker Herculez Gomez.
Whitmore said the Boyz failed to recover sufficiently from an awkward trip, which resulted in their late arrival here on Sunday night, limiting them to a single training session on Monday evening.
He said the US travelled by charter flight right after losing 2-1 to Jamaica in Kingston on Friday, giving their players plenty time to recuperate and prepare for the return leg of the CONCACAF semi-final round Group A encounter.
"The US had fresher legs," the coach said. " ... We didn't have the resources. It was limited."
sluggishness
However, Whitmore admitted that the US fully capitalised on Jamaica's sluggishness and dominated most of the match by not allowing the Boyz to find any early footing, unlike last Friday when Jamaica took the fight to the Americans almost from the outset, even after conceding a goal in 36 seconds.
"Yes, it was a different game," the coach said. "They came out early and they were pressing us ... We didn't get any time to play."
Whitmore also admitted that the scoreline could have been worse and credited goalkeeper Dwayne Miller, along with a brief surge by Jamaica in the second half, for making sure the defeat was not heavier.
"We were very fortunate not to concede in the first half," the coach said. "It's only the second half we came out and started playing."
The defeat dropped Jamaica into a three-way tie for the group lead on seven points with the US and Guatemala, which defeated Antigua and Barbuda 1-0 yesterday.
The win was also huge boost for the US, who struggled in Jamaica before putting on an impressive show here last night in front of an emotional crowd, which packed the Columbus Crew Stadium on the day the US marked the anniversary of "9/11", the September 11, 2001 date terrorists attacked the country killing nearly 3,000.
According to US head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, the plan was for the Americans to attack Jamaica down the flanks, put the Boyz under pressure early and not let up.
urgency
"I wanted to give them (the US team) the feeling of keep pushing," said Klinsmann. "They had that sense of urgency ... I think that sense of urgency really helped us."
The pressure paid off. The US hounded Jamaica from the opening whistle and took advantage of the pristine field to establish a passing game they sorely lacked in Jamaica, a factor Klinsmann blamed for the defeat.
"It was impossible to pass the ball around in Jamaica," he said of "The Office" turf.
The combination of defensive pressure and crisp combinations, gene-rated from a starting line-up that featured five new faces from the Kingston clash, resulted in territorial domin-ation and numerous scoring chances created by the US, especially in the first half. The Americans hit the goal frame twice and were denied by the brilliant Miller on at least two other occasions.
Oddly, the Boyz only started to establish themselves after falling behind to Gomez's strike, after rarely threatening the US goal. An 80th-minute strike from Rodolph Austin forced the only big save from American goalkeeper Tim Howard.
"We didn't start playing until we conceded," said Whitmore, who claimed he was "satisfied, but disappointed" with Jamaica's performance.
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