DALLAS, United States — Merron Gordon, even with his best diplomatic effort, could not hide his joy with his new job as an assistant coach with Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz.

He thinks his journey up the hill had the foundation for success when he was exposed to working with junior and senior women’s teams and the Under-23 men’s unit.

With that, the writing was always on the wall that Gordon was in waiting for something bigger than even himself.

“It is certainly a level up from where I am coming from, and I am charging myself to now pass on these experiences to my colleague coaches in Jamaica, so when people get to this level, nothing is surprising,” he shared with the Jamaica Observer yesterday.

“I think it was a good process leading up to this [being appointed to Boyz], having done youth female, senior female, Under-23 male, so I think that process was good,” Gordon, currently with the senior Boyz at the Concacaf Gold Cup, reasoned.

Regarded as one of the most promising young coaches in Jamaica, he thinks his experiences coaching at the high school level and Jamaica’s top flight has helped to broaden his portfolio.

“I think the experience I have garnered over the years is also good to bring to this level. At this level, you have to be sharper with everything, you can’t leave anything to chance, especially in a tournament like this,” he noted.

Gordon, a member of a technical team led by Head Coach Theodore Whitmore, which includes fellow assistant coach English-born Paul Hall and Goalkeeper Coach Warren Barrett at the region’s flagship football tournament, says the “chemistry” among the coaching staff is good.

“It’s a very good experience [to be working with the other coaches]. It’s a very good place to be as a young coach, being around two top players of the past and now two top coaches.

“I am learning from them, and I have the opportunity to be bouncing my ideas off them and so far, they have been receptive to me,” Gordon beamed.

“The chemistry among us is brilliant and it’s just a wonderful staff.”

As the Boyz were due to face the USA in the quarter-final of the Gold Cup at AT&T Stadium in Arlington last night, Gordon says the technical programme looks beyond the current engagement.

“We are hoping to use the Gold Cup experience as push as we look to the World Cup qualifiers,” he ended.

Shortly after the Boyz wrap up their participation in the Gold Cup, they will begin the Octagonal of the Concacaf World Cup qualification on September 2 away to Mexico.

— Sean Williams